Is There an Age Limit to Trick Or Treating?

YES

MC Savage, staff writer

While trick-or-treating is a beloved Halloween tradition, the line between child-like fun and taking advantage of the holiday is being blurred as older teens continue to trick-or-treat. Trick-or-treating is an exciting part of childhood, but it is time to consider when the time comes to retire this custom. This Halloween activity is suited best for young children, and teens should step down to make room for matters of safety, fairness, and letting younger kids enjoy the holiday to the fullest.  

Safety can become a larger concern when teenagers are still involved with trick-or-treating. Older teens in bigger groups can make a more intimidating atmosphere for the younger kids and even homeowners. Not to mention, unsupervised teenagers tend to be more inclined to riskier behaviors like pranks, or even vandalizing and trespassing, which can create a scarier environment for kids and parents.  

“Sometimes teens can get rowdy and not make the smartest decisions, especially on nights like Halloween,” says sophomore Sebastian Schlaud. 

The trick-or-treating tradition should be reserved for younger kids, especially due to fairness. Halloween is their one chance a year to dress up and go outside with their friends to show off their cool costumes and enjoy the thrill of collecting candy. Because teens have more freedom, they are most likely capable of buying themselves their own treats, and going trick-or-treating just takes from those children who cannot get them for themselves. Also, teenagers have already experienced the fun of trick-or-treating, and it is not fair for them to take away from kids and rob them of their own experience.  

Allowing children to enjoy Halloween to the fullest is extremely important. Halloween is a time for them to build memories with their friends and family, develop social skills, and enjoy time with their community while dressed up in spooky and silly costumes. When teenagers join the mix of trick-or-treating, it can overshadow younger kids’ experiences and be more intimidating. If teens step aside, they can make space for the next generation of trick-or-treaters, continuing the magic and fun of this Halloween tradition for years to come.  

It is known that teens have a lot of activities available to them on Halloween night, which makes Trick-or-treating less important to them anyways. Instead of collecting candy and intimidating the younger kids, they can go to events like parties or haunted houses with their friends. These activities are not only more age appropriate for teenagers, but they also create much-needed space for children to fully enjoy the Trick-or-treating experience. With other options for teens available anyways, they should step aside and allow kids to have this one tradition.  

“Trick-or-Treating gets boring. Instead, I like to go to parties or hang out with my friends-” says Bar Vajima, sophomore and Halloween enthusiast.  

Overall, teenagers should really consider retiring from trick-or-treating all together. With the safety concerns, unfairness to younger kids and the lots of other activities that teens can participate in all points to the same conclusion. Stepping aside for the younger kids is what will allow them to entirely encompass the Halloween experience that all teenagers have once had. It is time for teenagers to embrace new Halloween traditions and leave the door open for new and younger trick-or-treaters.  

NO

Sarah Ramming, managing editor

Enjoying a festival is for all ages. Going to the fair is an outing for kids, a date site and place to let loose for teens, even just something to do for the elderly. There shouldn't be any restrictions on childhood whimsy or having genuine enjoyment in life. Halloween is, and should continue to be, for all ages, and this includes trick-or-treating. 

Halloween began as a Celtic celebration, Samhain, which was a festival marking the end of the summer months and beginning of winter. Winter was seen as a season of death, so Samhain was the day that ghosts of the dead returned to the earth. Through Roman invasions and the influence of Christianity, Samhain turned into All Saint’s Day, which turned into All-Hallows Eve, the origin of modern Halloween. Over this entire history, Halloween was a festival. Celebrated by kids and adults, the old and the young, the idea of communicating with the dead or warding off evil spirits brought the community together. Although Halloween has lost the religious undertones it once had, the idea of bringing people together to celebrate has not been lost to time.  

Those who self-restrict most often are teens. Some teens feel that going trick-or treating is cheesy, that you could just go to parties with your friends or just stay home. Parties are a great way to celebrate but they don’t bring the community together quite like trick-or-treating does. The idea of not trick-or-treating after a certain year is also perpetuated by adults who say: 

“Aren't you a bit old for trick or treating?” 

No, Brenda, I like to have a little fun and get my steps in while gorging myself on candy.  

When adults and other teens suggest that there is an age limit, kids feel like to be more mature and older they have to stop trick-or-treating or even celebrating Halloween.  

“Younger kids are very impressionable, and if it’s ‘uncool’ for the older kids to not go trick-or-treating, then it makes the younger kinds not want to go,” said Amelie Roy, a junior at Johns Creek High School.  

When younger kids stop going out and having fun, creating childhood memories, they don't get life experience that comes in handy later in life. For me, knowing how to be safe and aware of my surroundings at night in an area that I don't know as well was taught to me through trick-or-treating. Also, those happy childhood memories were also bonding moments with my friends and neighbors. You can meet new people or make fun memories with old friends. Bonding over candy and decorations is a great way to make new friends.  

“The community is impacted by trick or treating by working together towards a common goal. Almost everyone participates in decorating their houses, handing out candy, walking their kids house to house, setting up a Halloween party, etc. Even the people that don’t participate are affected,” said Roy. 

The issue for most teens is what to do with a perfectly good evening instead of going trick-or-treating. Teens, having been told that they are too old to have fun like that, instead of going out to parties or, still hanging out with friends, just stay home.  

“As you get older, especially in high school, it becomes ‘lame’ to dress up and it’s cool to party with your friends instead,” said Roy.  

Parties are a danger themselves, as bigger parties can get dangerous. However, they are still a reasonable way to celebrate. Trick-or-treating, in general, is better for the community, usually safer and should not be restricted to only kids. Teens, adults and everyone in between deserve to have the great experience of trying to get the best candy, bonding with others in the community, and celebrating a festival that has many historic roots.