Your story reminded me of when I went on a cruise for my honeymoon. There was a cruise employee who gave my new husband and me a stern warning about how we should not be on the cruise without our parents if we were under 18. (We were in our mid-20s.) So much of society today wants to keep people dependent on their parents forever, it seems.
I think it's more the case that roving gangs of teenagers put adults on edge. And for good reason. When you put 5 or 10 of the most conscientious teenagers together, collectively they're like a bull in a china shop.
Adults aren't much better, but they're much less energetic unless they've been drinking.
