Should Teenagers Still Trick-or-Treat?

Alexandra Kister, Staff Member

On Halloween night, a favorite pastime is trick-or-treating. Children get dressed up and go house to house with their families, collecting sweets from neighbors and friends. Pre-teens and teenagers also take part in the fun. But how old is too old to be out trick-or-treating on Halloween? 

On Halloween, the ages of kids who participate in trick-or-treating varies. Starting in the early hours of the day on Halloween, most of the very young children go around to get their candy. Around dinner time, we notice a shift in the age groups, witnessing older school age children come up to our doorsteps for candy. Finally, the pre-teens and teenagers tend to go out when it gets dark. In my experience, there are not nearly as many teenagers as other age groups out trick-or-treating.

Parents normally accompany the young, grade school children as they walk around the neighborhood collecting their treats. How do parents feel when their kids grow up and want to go trick or treating?  

“I would feel more comfortable if they go out with groups of friends and check in periodically,” said Mrs. Ferraioli, chemistry teacher.

According to Keiry Vasquez, there should be no age limit placed on trick-or-treaters.

“Trick-or-treating should be for anyone who enjoys celebrating Halloween,” said Vasquez, a sophomore.

Some teenagers, however, disagree. They still choose to celebrate the holiday, but do so in alternative ways.

“Well, I stopped going trick-or-treating when I was around 10 but I still like to celebrate Halloween. I like to watch Halloween movies with my family and my mom buys candy for me to indulge in instead of the traditional trick-or-treating,” said Arianna Rodriguez, a junior. 

Teenagers who do not want to go trick-or-treating, like myself, can choose to stay home and watch horror movies instead. Or, they can enjoy handing out candy to the kids in their own neighborhood. It provides an opportunity to appreciate the amazing costumes that families come up with.

After hearing everyone’s opinions on Halloween, going trick-or-treating is personal preference and people of all ages should be able to participate.