“‘We have not developed and strengthened institutions to serve young adults,’ Mr. Furstenberg said, ‘because we’re still living with the archaic idea that people enter adulthood in their late teens or early 20s’” (Cohen, 2010).

“As such, the declining age of puberty in the United States is significant in that it could very well lead to a reconceptualization of what adolescence is and when in the life course the boundaries between childhood and adolescence are set” (Johnson, Crosnoe, and Elder, Jr. 2011; Herman-Giddens, 2007).

As if this period of life wasn’t difficult enough, it seems that adolescence in the United States is both starting earlier and ending later. On one end, I was very surprised to learn that it’s not just the consumption of growth hormones in America’s food that is causing girls to hit puberty earlier: family troubles at home have played a steady role in decreasing the pubertal age (Belsky et al. 2007). To me, this is shocking, because it means that the conflict at home and the stress wherein affects these girls so strongly that it causes their anatomies to undergo a physiological process sooner than expected. While their bodies are advancing, their brains have not caught up, and they are unable to fully evaluate consequences before making decisions, often resulting in dangerous sex and drug use, as well as academic challenges that continue to affect them down the road. On the other end of adolescence, it is becoming simply too expensive to transition into American adulthood! With the ever-increasing price of higher education and requirement to obtain it for employment, our system not only discourages young adults from being financially independent, but also sets them back years in debt. Although some fear the notion of “socialism” within, many European countries could teach us a thing or two about supporting adolescents and early adults. In France for example, young Europeans and visa holders receive discounts to museums and high speed train tickets, just for being young adults. All students, regardless of nationality, up to age 26, obtain significant discounts in public transportation. Healthcare is universal, cell phone bills are low, and higher education costs are pennies compared to the American norm; not to mention other scholarships, NOT loans, that cover students’ living expenses. As Nakkula described in “Identity and Possibility: Adolescent Development and the Potential for Schools,” we’ve come a long way in creating engaging programs for youth, in which they can invest their energy and self-explore. As adolescence extends into young adulthood, it is high time for the United States to step up and revamp programs to support the transition into adulthood as well!