An addendum to this is "can you be held financially responsible". As in, if a 12 year old wrecks a car or beaks windows out of an empty building, who is considered "responsible for the costs to repair/replace?"
Parents are the adults because its expected that they would have an ability to pay for damages while a kid isn't likely to have an income to pay for anything. So when you turn 18 and do something where you owe money, they come after you first with the expectation of repayment instead of your previous guardians.
An addendum to this is "can you be held financially responsible". As in, if a 12 year old wrecks a car or beaks windows out of an empty building, who is considered "responsible for the costs to repair/replace?"
Parents are the adults because its expected that they would have an ability to pay for damages while a kid isn't likely to have an income to pay for anything. So when you turn 18 and do something where you owe money, they come after you first with the expectation of repayment instead of your previous guardians.