“Growing Up”: What’s the Cutoff for Trick or Treating?

Trick-or-treating: a time-honored American tradition, on par with fireworks on the Fourth of July and turkey on Thanksgiving.

Every year on Halloween, children in costume flood the streets, knocking on every door in hopes of filling their pillowcases and themed buckets with mountains of candy.

Some still cling to the sides of parents and older siblings, too young to be allowed out alone. Others, typically much older, freely move from house to house, relishing in their freedom and independence.

The differences in age groups are stark and contrasting, and raise the question: how old is too old to trick-or-treat? Is there an age cutoff, and if so, what is it?

Many of the school’s students have a say on the topic.

Freshman Priscila Sevilla said the cutoff should be at age 15.

Sevilla will be trick-or-treating this year. She said it will be the last year she is doing so.

“Ninth grade is the last year,” she said. “Make your first year of high school your last year trick-or-treating.”

Another freshman, Heather Czerniawsky, has a similar opinion.

“If you’re out of high school, you shouldn’t be trick-or-treating,” said Czerniawsky.

She claims this is an issue for both safety and trust.

“I don’t want 45-year-olds showing up at my door,” she said.

Other students, however, think otherwise of the matter.

Junior Camille Lamkin believes there should be no age cutoff, and that Halloween is, in fact, a great opportunity to snag free candy.

“If something is given to you for free, you need to take advantage of it and exploit it to its fullest extent,” said Lamkin.

“You’re not going to get many things for free, so when you do, it’s important to go out there and get as much candy as you possibly can.”

Another upperclassman, junior Kabeer Chawla, shares the same sentiment.

“The only restriction should be that the older you are, the more elaborate your costume should be,” he said.

Otherwise, he believes “there is no cutoff.”

Trick-or-treating can be an exciting experience regardless of age, and while some have defined rules about what is and isn’t appropriate, you’re never too old to have fun.