How Old Is Too Old To Trick Or Treat? [Block Talk]

ACROSS AMERICA — It’s about time for the kids to go trick-or-treating in neighborhoods all across America. The Halloween ritual is generally fun all around, for the people who smile at kids’ costume creativity while handing out goodies and most certainly for the kids who receive them.

But this debate is as perennial as the Halloween parade up and down America’s neighborhood streets: What do you do if you open the door to someone who’s either a freakishly gigantic kid or a fully grown adult whose Darth Vader costume covers his beard and other age giveaways? What about high school kids? Are they too old? Is there even such a thing as being too old to trick or treat?

A 2021 YouGov survey said more than a quarter of adults (26 percent) don’t think there should be an age cut-off on trick or treating. And a 2019 Today.com survey found almost half of adults (46 percent) don’t think there should be an age limit. In that survey, about 16 percent said kids should stop trick or treating around 17 or 18, and 19 percent said 15 or 16 should be the cut-off age. And 1 percent said kids should be done with trick or treating when they’re older than 9.

But what do you think?

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About Block Talk

Block Talk is an exclusive Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com, with Block Talk as the subject line.
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