Authoritarianism creeps in from seemingly unlikely places.

Government officials will start with a premise that seems pretty legit.

“Kids need to be protected. In order for parents and officials to protect them, kids can’t have full rights like adults.”

As child labor, compulsory schooling, and other “protective” laws have accelerated over the last 100 years, the definition of “child” has gone from something like under 14-years-old to 16, 18, and 21 in many cases.

But don’t worry, it’s just “kids” that don’t have rights. It’s just that American society considers people in their early twenties “kids.”