• rumschlumpel@feddit.org
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          13
          arrow-down
          21
          ·
          edit-2
          26 days ago

          At 13, they are both basically and literally teenagers, which comes with the legal consequence of being liable for criminal actions.

          • MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            28
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            26 days ago

            I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure “teenager” is not a legal distinction for which liability is determined. You are either an adult or not, and judges have leeway to funnel non-adults through an alternative justice system not available to adults.

          • andrewta@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            26 days ago

            I’ve never heard of that legal distinction, but I want you to go talk to any parent of a 13 year old and ask how they refer to a 13 year old and the vast majority will call those people a child and also call them a teenager. A ton of teachers will do the same thing.

            At age 19 you are still a teenager but in the eyes of the law many times you are considered an adult.

            So it is fair to call a 13 year old a child because basically they still are.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        26 days ago

        I have a 14-year-old.

        They’re children.

        And if my daughter did something like this last year, I would absolutely want her to face legal repercussions. I love her, but that doesn’t mean I would find this to be in any way acceptable behavior, and at a level beyond what I as a parent could do.

        I would, however, do my best to make sure she was put in a juvenile facility and given good mental healthcare.