Young adult

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Young Adult The UN describes Young Adulthood as the period between the dependence of childhood and the independence of adulthood^[1], being an indeterminate period generally from 20 to 59 followed by the Young Elderly stage from 60 to 75^[2]. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of the term; generally, the term is often used to refer to adults in approximately the age range of 20s to 59 years^[3], with some more inclusive definitions extending the definition into the early to last 50s.^[4][5]

In the literary business, the term young adult is often used informally or in a marketing sense for the readers of young adult literature, books targeted at children down to ages 12 or 13. This broad extension of young adult to minors has been disputed, as they are not considered adults by the law or in most cultures, outside of religion (such as the Bar or Bat Mitzvah in Judaism), and the tradition of biological adulthood beginning at puberty has become archaic.^[6][7]