Have you just celebrated your sixteenth birthday, or are you a parent or guardian to a child who is 16 and you’re pondering on legal fun and interesting things they can do at this age?
While it can feel a bit too much to handle, clocking 16 years of age is actually a great milestone that unlocks a whole new world of interesting, fun-filled opportunities and responsibilities.
If you’re looking for legal fun and interesting things you can do at 16, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll be considering 30 legal fun and interesting things you can do at 16.
30 Legal Fun And Interesting Things You Can Do At 16
1. Learn how to drive
The opportunity to begin learning to drive is one of the most highly anticipated 16th birthday milestones. Teens can drive with freedom when they get their learner’s permit or full driver’s license, which is available in many places at this age. If you’re looking for what you can do at 16, then getting a driver’s license should be on the list.
2. Get A Job
What can you do at 16? Be employed. Get a job. It’s an excellent idea to start acquiring financial independence and work experience at sixteen. It’s common for teenagers to get part-time work, and in certain places, 16-year-olds can even get full-time positions. This is a great step toward getting cool cash, saving up for college or funding your dreams or passions.
3. Make Income Tax Payments
When you get a job at 16, it is expected that you pay taxes. Paying taxes is a responsibility that comes with earning income. Earning sixteen-year-olds may have to file tax returns, which gives them an introduction to the financial world. At 16, this is one of the many responsibilities that come with growing up.
4. Provide Medical Authorization
Under some specific circumstances, 16-year-olds can give their own consent for some medical treatments, giving them more autonomy over their healthcare choices. They can choose what they want, the treatment method, and the doctors that they want to treat them.
5. Open A Bank Account
What can you do at 16? Open a bank account. Many teenagers find that they can open a bank account when they turn 16. A lot of banks require you to be at least 16 years old in order to open a bank account, and some even let parents open student bank accounts for their underage teenagers. As students gain financial management skills, this is a huge step toward financial literacy and accountability.
6. What can you do at 16? Get Married To The Boy You Love
16-year-olds may be able to marry with parental approval depending on where they reside. The legal age of marriage in the 23 states in the US is 16 years old. While marriage at this age is a possibility, we don’t advise it because it is uncommon.
You can get married at 16 but only with permission from your parents. For this reason, young couples between the ages of 16 and 17 may choose to get married in Scotland, because in Scotland, 16 is the legal marriage age. In Wales and England, you have to be eighteen to get married.
7. Be A Blood Donor
Although blood donors must normally be at least 17 years old, certain states permit 16-year-olds to donate blood with parental consent. This is a fantastic approach to allowing your kid to positively impact their community and make a positive contribution if they have a strong love for giving blood. Although you can sign up to donate blood at the age of 16, you won’t be able to provide your blood donation until you are 17 years old.
A lot of people can donate blood as long as they are in good health, weigh between 50 and 158 kg, and are between the ages of 17 and 66 (or 70 if they have previously donated blood). Donating blood can save lives. To meet its needs in England alone, the NHS needs over 5,000 donations. While blood donations in general are vital, the NHS particularly needs donors who are,
- Male (more often than women)
- Black (black donors typically have Ro blood, which is needed).
- O negative: Because it may be administered to all patients, hospitals most frequently require this blood type.
8. Change Your Name
We have no influence as to what names we will be given when we are born. Perhaps you don’t like the name given to you or in some specific situations, you wish to change your name. At 16 years old, you can change your name with your parents’ permission. 16-year-olds in several states are able to legally alter their name. This action could be taken for a variety of cultural or personal reasons.
9. Get A Passport
A “Child’s Passport,” which is available to children under the age of sixteen, must be obtained with the help of two parents. Your child can start traveling abroad and embark on thrilling adventures when they get their own passport at age 16. What can you do at 16? Get a passport and travel around the world.
10. Make decisions regarding your education
Even though furthering your education is greatly advised, some teenagers in some areas may decide to drop out of school at age 16. With advice from parents and educators, this is a choice that needs to be thoroughly thought through.
If you turn 16 before the start of the following school year, you are allowed to drop out, but you have to remain in some sort of training until you become 18. This could be completing part-time education or training in addition to working or volunteering for 20 hours per week, enrolling in a full-time college course, or starting an apprenticeship.
11. Become an Aircraft Pilot
You can start pursuing a new career choice as an aircraft pilot once you turn 16. Once you clock sixteen you can start taking classes or training on how to become an aircraft pilot. After you turn sixteen, you can obtain a student pilot certificate and take solo flights. Although you can begin courses earlier, you must be 16 to receive the certificate.
12. Get a Fishing License
Fishing alone is one way to have alone time and interact with nature. What to do at 16? Get a fishing permit. In some places, you do not require a license if you are under sixteen to fish, but you will have to obtain your own fishing license after you turn sixteen.
13. What to do at 16? You can Actively Volunteer
Volunteering is a great way to spend your time, gain experience, and meet new people. The minimum age to volunteer in many volunteer organizations is 16 years old. Teens can actively participate in volunteer work to improve their communities and support issues that are important to them.
14. Have Access to Private Health Services
There are numerous locations where 16-year-olds can obtain private healthcare treatments like mental health therapy or reproductive health services. This is the age you need to pay more attention to yourself and your health. Visiting a health center for checkups, treatment, and health talks is a great thing to do at 16.
15. Ride A Snowmobile
Although you can ride a snowmobile with an adult at a younger age, you have to be 16 years old or older to ride one by yourself. In many states, passing a snowmobile safety course and having a valid driver’s license are prerequisites to riding a snowmobile at 16.
 16. Get Freedom Legally From Your Parents
Teens may apply for legal independence from their parents or guardians as early as age 16. Although many teenagers find the idea of becoming legally independent thrilling, this is typically a lengthy and challenging process that is reserved for rare instances. So if you’re with parents or guardians who abuse you, getting freedom from them is a great thing to do at 16.
17. Drink Some Alcohol
Are you eager to start drinking away your problems as soon as you turn sixteen? Be at ease! You are allowed to have a drink with your meal when dining out with an adult. As long as someone over the age of eighteen is with you and makes the purchase, you are allowed to have wine, beer, or cider with your meal. Legally, you are also allowed to enter bars at 16, but you are limited to purchasing and consuming non-alcoholic beverages.
18. Enlist In The Army (With Permission From Parents)
While the minimum age to enlist and serve in the army is 18, you can enroll and start training as early as 16 years old. At the age of sixteen, you can choose to join the Army, and you can even begin the application process as early as fifteen years and seven months. However, in order to participate, you need permission from your parents, so it can take some effort to persuade them.
If you’re between the ages of 12 and 18 and feel that you’re still too young to join the Army or that you don’t want to commit to serving as a full-time soldier, you can register with the Army Cadets.
19. Purchase A Pet
Are you a pet lover or have your parents been declining to get you a puppy? Well, that shouldn’t be a problem now that you’re 16. These days, you can purchase a pet for yourself and bring it home to give your family a pleasant surprise. It is quite another question entirely: whether they will allow you to keep it.
20. Purchase A Lottery Ticket
What to do at 16? Get a lottery ticket. Do you dislike going to work and you need money to pay your bills or to buy some good pieces of stuff for yourself? Being 16 years old is a great time to take your first step into financial independence. Get more lottery tickets to increase your chances of becoming a billionaire and start investing in your future today.
21. Get A Piercing
Have you always admired adults or older teens who have piercings in their ears, nose, lips, tongues, and other parts of the body? Being 16 is a mature age to get a piercing without much questioning or opposition. Having a piercing or two is the ultimate way to flaunt your rebellious adolescence.
22. Operate a Tractor
At sixteen, you get the freedom to operate a tractor if you would like to. This involves you registering to join a farm machinery class and also taking lessons on how to drive a tractor. You can choose to become a farmer. You can also make cool cash by being a tractor driver.
23. Fly in a Glider
If riding a tractor wasn’t cool for you, you can choose to fly in a glider at 16. You can be miles above your peers once you obtain a glider license at the age of 16.
Flying in a glider is one way to have fun at 16. What to do at 16? Obtain a glider license.
24. Get A Job Selling Tickets As A Street Vendor
Having money to pay your bills or the luxury you need or even having fun without asking your parents is cool.
Have you ever found yourself in a market thinking, “Wow, I wish I could stand there screaming prices at potential customers”? Well, you are on the right track. You can now start selling tickets on the streets at 16 to make some money or you can now hawk goods you own or those of your employer on the street.
25. You Can Start Selling Scrap Metals
This might be more appealing to you if you don’t want to be a street vendor. For a little extra income, how about selling scrap metal? While it might not be a consistent process, you will undoubtedly get some, gain some experience, and meet new people from it. Selling scrap metal is another legal job to keep money flowing that you can do at 16.
 26. Get Ready To Vote
Let’s break down the guidelines, as they vary slightly based on where you live. In Northern Ireland and England, voting in your first election won’t be possible until you turn 18 years old, even if you can register to vote at age 16. In Wales and Scotland, for municipal elections and the Scottish/Welsh Parliament, you can register to vote at age 14 and cast your first ballot at age 16. In order to cast a ballot in a general election, you must wait until you turn eighteen.
27. Take a full-time job
You can legally work a full-time job now that you are sixteen. The National Minimum Wage is still in effect, and until you turn eighteen, you are not permitted to work in specific locations or from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., but other than that, nothing is stopping you from pursuing your career full-time right now!
28. Write a will
Well, it’s critical to realize that creating a legally binding will often require you to be at least 18 years old in most states. Nonetheless, with the assistance of a parent or guardian, minors are able to draft a will in several states. It’s also crucial to understand that minors are not allowed to transfer property through wills. Therefore, you will need to set up a trust if you are under 18 and wish to leave behind assets. But don’t forget at 16, you can legally write a will with the help of your parents.
29. Buy a Cell phone
Generally speaking, there are no legal problems if you purchase a cell phone at age 16. Nevertheless, there are some limitations on cell phone plans for minors. For instance, minors may occasionally require a parent or legal guardian to sign a contract on their behalf. Furthermore, a lot of cell phone companies mandate that the account holder be at least eighteen years old. Thus, although it’s generally possible to get a cell phone at 16, the plan you can choose from may have some restrictions.
30. You can actively participate in a Protest
You have the right to take part in a protest as a sixteen-year-old. Freedom of expression and assembly, which includes the right to take part in protests, is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. It is crucial to remember that there can be limitations on your ability to protest in terms of where and how you can do so. Additionally, you should research local laws and regulations, as certain protests might need a permit.
Conclusion
What can you do at 16? We’ve listed 31 fun, interesting, and legal things you can do at 16. A teen’s sixteenth birthday marks a pivotal period in their life, filled with both obligations and advantages. This is the moment to experiment with their newfound freedoms and make decisions that will affect their future. Turning sixteen is still quite exciting.
Keep in mind that 16-year-olds’ legal rights and obligations might differ significantly depending on where they reside, so it’s critical to review the local laws and regulations.
