With a tear in her eye his mother joked that if J.C. was still alive, she would ground her sixteen-year-old son for killing himself. Unfortunately, her attempt to remain somewhat lighthearted after her son’s death reveals the tragic root of the problem.

Teens have more legal restrictions than ever before. And as society continues to get stricter, teen suicide is skyrocketing...

Throughout most of human history, this 16-year-old boy would be considered a young adult, largely autonomous from his parents, with the same rights as the rest of adults in a given society. In fact, boys between 14 and 21 have more often, throughout the world and human history, been considered adults.

But modern Western society artificially extends childhood and the restrictions that go with it. These young men are considered children.