A young woman of 19 should not be called a “teenager”
Reading the news about the young lady who was tragically and shockingly murdered whilst baby-sitting her niece and nephew in Borehamwood has made me think about the way people are described in such stories.
Both newspapers and television headlined the story as “teenager murdered”. When an arrest was made by the police, it was said to be of an “18 year old man”. So the murderer, aged 18, was a “man”, but the victim, who was actually 19, was called a “teenager” which makes her sound about 13 or 14. Why the difference?
The age of majority in this country is 18, so those of that age and above are regarded as adult not teenagers.
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