Most kids dress up in different costumes during the month of October. In one study block, over half, 57% in fact, of the students plan to dress up for Halloween to get sugary sweets, but in Virginia, the age limit is 12 years old.

“I think that by the age of 12, they are old enough to be giving out candy,” said special ed teacher Lisa Anderson-Riley.

Some believe older kids tend to cause more mischief.

“They might also scare the younger kids,” said Anderson-Riley.

According to NBC’s Today, cities around the country have made laws that state a fee of $100 if someone over the age limit is caught trick-or-treating. These laws are rarely enforced, and some teenagers try to get away with trick-or-treating if they look young enough.

“They should be able to do what they want. If they don’t have a job or enough money to buy candy, they should be able to go trick-or-treating,” said sophomore Cody Kancso.

According to NBC’s Today, Lou Thurston spokesman for the Newport News Police Department said officers tend to let teens off with a warning or make a call to their parents, but the reasoning behind the age limit is to protect the younger children.

“The point is making the place safe,” said Thurston.

Some teenagers are disappointed that they can’t trick-or-treat, but they understand the reasoning behind it.

“It seems reasonable because teenagers can cause ruckus. I guess I agree with it to an extent,” said sophomore Shelbie Gray.