The BBC reports that scientists who study both brain and nervous system function have found the age at which you become an adult is different for everyone, and although you might be legally allowed to drink, drive, vote and get a credit card at 18, most human brains are still undergoing changes which can affect behaviour and mental health at this age.
"What we're really saying is that to have a definition of when you move from childhood to adulthood looks increasingly absurd. It's a much more nuanced transition that takes place over three decades,” says Professor Jones, who is one of several experts taking part in a neuroscience meeting hosted by the Academy of Medical Sciences in Oxford this year. "I guess systems like the education system, the health system and the legal system make it convenient for themselves by having definitions."
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