PRO: Teens should be able to go trick-or-treating

Halloween is one of the busiest times of the year. Many stores began selling large bags of candy, Halloween costumes, and decorations before summer was even over.

It’s both a hectic time for stores and for families. Parents must go out to these stores and buy all of these things to get prepared for the 31st of October; most likely they will be getting Halloween costumes for their young children so they can trick or treat. What about teenagers?

There has been a long-running debate on whether or not teenagers (ages 13-17) should trick-or-treat on Halloween night. A large number of people, parents and children alike, oppose the idea of teenagers trick-or-treating.

Teenagers should be allowed to trick-or-treat on Halloween. Trick-or-treating for a teenager is good because teens are given the ability to relive what they always did as younger children. Teens could also grow  stronger bonds with their friends if they go trick-or-treating with them.

A teenager may be asked by his or her parents to take a younger sibling out to trick-or-treat. That grows a stronger bond between the pair, and a younger sibling can feel safe trick-or-treating with an older sibling, knowing that he or she will be protected by the older sibling.

The main reason that many parents and younger children oppose the idea of teens trick-or-treating is because of the mischief that teenagers supposedly cause throughout the night, including egging and throwing toilet paper on houses, scaring younger children, and stealing candy for themselves.

This does not happen as much as everyone says it happens. This is just a stereotypical characterization of teens. Typically, a teenager on Halloween night will stay home and hand out candy to other trick-or-treaters.

Overall, teenagers should go trick-or-treating. It keeps them out of trouble and helps them grow bonds with siblings, friends, and their parents.

CON: Teens should not go trick-or-treating

With Halloween here, an age-old debate rises again. Should teenagers trick-or-treat? The answer is no. At some point, a person has to admit to themselves that they are too old for something, and this is the case for high schoolers and trick-or-treating.

Most teenagers no longer participate in the Halloween tradition, but there are still some who refuse to let it go. They insist that there is no age at which someone should stop, but if you look around your neighborhood on Halloween night, there is a clear trend: most trick-or-treaters are elementary school-aged children.   Although there is no set age at which you have to stop, there are indications of when kids are becoming too old to participate.

For many, the cut-off age for trick-or-treating is around middle school. Some stop because they become uninterested in the event; some stop because they had an older sibling or friends who have stopped, and some stop because they realize that the miles of walking isn’t worth it for candy that they will not eat.

These are all good reasons to stop trick-or-treating.

However, for a high school aged person, there are more reasons to stop, including the odd looks a teen will get from people handing out candy, the intimidation kids will feel from teenagers, and the pointlessness of the event for people that age.  They should all be reason enough to stop.

Teenagers who trick-or-treat can be intimidating for kids and looked down on by parents.

For kids they see teenagers, and some are intimidated or scared, causing them to avoid places where teenagers are. Adults see teenagers trick-or-treating and tend not to like it. Some believe the teenagers will be mischievous, and some just do not think it’s appropriate for teenagers to trick-or-treat.

Overall, it is fair to say that teenagers should not trick-or-treat. There is an age when a person is too old to participate in an event, and this is one of those events. Whether it is the odd looks or lack of people of a teen’s age, it’s time for teenagers to stay home and pass out the candy instead of collect it.