That’s why the term delayed adolescence isn’t accurate or helpful. It implies the twentysomethings are refusing to let go of adolescence because of some character defect. Instead, sociologists have identified a new stage from ages eighteen to twenty-eight, which they call emerging adulthood because it comes after adolescence and before early adulthood. Because it takes longer to get an education and society doesn’t consider young people adults until their late twenties, it’s harder to find meaningful adult roles until later in life compared to past generations.
