Halloween 2022: How Old Is Too Old to Trick or Treat?

Authorities in Chesapeake, Virginia, have announced that age 14 should be the cutoff for trick or treat. On the other hand, the city of Bathurst in New Brunswick, Canada, passed a law prohibiting kids 16 and older from trick or treat and ringing doorbells.

Such preferences and regulations appear to be a hot topic for parents and non-parents alike.

Wearing a terrifying costume and ringing doorbells on Halloween to demand treats has been a tradition in the United States. It originally came from the ancient Celtic Festivals in early Roman Catholic holidays. Many trick-or-treaters start knocking on doors or ringing bells at sunset, around 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. in your local time zone.

Decisions are split in deciding what age a child should stop doing trick or treat. However, Treetopia, a Christmas tree company, surveyed 700 respondents in 2019 and determined that one in four Americans think there is no age limit for trick or treats and sees that a person is never too old to demand treats on Halloween. Yet, the consensus was 18.7 years old, which means those already of their legal age can be seen as someone too old to trick or treat, per Good House Keeping.

Perfect opportunity for older and younger kids to bond

Keri Wilmot, an ambassador for The Genius of Play and a pediatric occupational therapist, claims that trick-or-treat is a fair game which only means that there should be no age for kids to stop doing trick-or-treats.

Anna Yudina, director of The Genius of Play Initiative at the Toy Association, argued that there are older kids who bring a child who just moved to a new neighborhood, making Halloween a bonding for them to know each other more. Also, older kids can practice both leadership and nurturing skills as they will need to guide the young ones to ask for some treats at the best houses on the block.

Older trick-or-treaters can help young kids practice proper manners while asking for treats by saying please and thank you. Nick Leighton, etiquette expert and host of the "Were You Raised by Wolves" podcast, said that teenagers can still wear Halloween costumes and go to different houses to ask for sweets and treats.

Leighton added that if they practice good manners and have fun, how can people put an age limit on the fun? He argued that there should be no age limit for asking for treats in the first place.

Catherine Newman, writer of the Modern Manners Column for Real Simple Magazine, told TODAY little kids get more excited when they see big kids dressed up.

What should trick-or-treaters bear in mind amid the pandemic?

Although asking for sweet candies from different houses is fun, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, suggested that before doing the trick or treat, people, especially kids, must consider getting vaccinated to eliminate numerous risks associated with life-threatening COVID-19 symptoms.

According to The Atlantic, trick-or-treaters must prioritize their health and what they think is safe.