Youth is defined by Webster's New World Dictionary as, "The time of life when one is young; especially: a: the period between childhood and maturity b: the early period of existence, growth, or development."

Usage

Around the world the terms "youth", "adolescent", "teenager", and "young person" are interchanged, often meaning the same thing, occasionally differentiated. Youth generally refers to a time of life that is neither childhood nor adulthood, but rather, somewhere in-between. Youth also identifies a particular mindset of attitude, as in "He is very youthful". The term youth is also related to being young.

"This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease." - Robert Kennedy

Youth is an alternative word to the scientifically-oriented adolescent and the common terms of teen and teenager. Another common title for youth is young person or young people.

Age limits

The age in which a person is considered a "youth," and thus eligible for special treatment under the law and throughout society varies around the world.

• "Youth... those persons falling between the ages of 18 and 24 years inclusive." - United Nations General Assembly
• "Time in a person's life between childhood and adulthood. The term "youth" in general refers to those who are between the ages of 18 to 24." - World Bank.
• The Commonwealth Youth Programme works with "young people (aged 15-29)."
• "A person... under 21 years of age." - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• "People between the ages of 20 and 25." - Government of Tasmania
• "People between the ages of 14 and 21." - Wilson School District

See also

• List of youth topics