Are You Too Old to Trick-or-Treat?

Trick-or-treating is no doubt a big deal for young kids. That’s partly why some people are in favor of the age limits. Some parents and town officials say that older trick-or-treaters, especially big groups of teens, can make the event overwhelming or even scary for younger kids. Since teens can celebrate Halloween in other ways, like by throwing costume parties or horror movie marathons, these adults believe trick-or-treating should be left for the younger kids.

But many argue that teens look forward to the tradition too. 

“Trick-or-treating lets older kids be creative and get the feeling of being a child again,” says Dheeraj Godavarthi, 13, from New Jersey.

Sheryl Ziegler, a child and family therapist, agrees. Ziegler says that Halloween is one of the few nights a year when teens still get to be playful and carefree. She encourages keeping these kinds of moments alive for teens, who are often dealing with various pressures—whether from school, sports, or social media—that can make the world feel quite serious.

“Usually by around 8 years old, life is very structured,” says Ziegler. “There’s just not a lot of time to do [playful] stuff like this.”

Some town officials in places with age restrictions argue that these rules were created in an attempt to keep Halloween safe and orderly—not to ruin anyone’s fun. Trick-or-treating can get chaotic, especially in neighborhoods where hundreds of people are out celebrating. What’s more, Halloween has historically been associated with teens pulling pranks, like egging houses. Some towns, like Chesapeake, created the age restrictions to try to prevent overcrowding and property damage.

But what about teens who trick-or-treat politely and responsibly? Many argue that it’s not fair to restrict all teens just because some misbehaved in the past. 

Plus, some experts, like Zoe Gross, the director of advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, point out that bans can be unfair to people who have developmental disabilities, like autism. Gross, who has autism, says that many teens or young adults with autism find comfort in continuing childhood rituals at older ages.

“We don’t follow social norms as closely as some other people do,” Gross says. “We don’t grow out of things at the times people might expect us to.” 

Towns with these rules point out that these bans are rarely enforced. Most communities have had them in place for decades but don’t act on them. They often exist as more of a precaution: ready to be enforced if needed, but not meant to stop all teens from celebrating. 

Still, maybe age bans are not the right solution. A compromise could be to stagger trick-or-treating times. Younger kids could go to houses earlier in the evening, and older kids could go later. 

So what do you think? Should teens be allowed to go trick-or-treating? Or should they hand the candy bag over to the next generation?