I think there's a reason we do not just blindly follow the numbers. They can lie just as much, sometimes more. I'm a bit alarmed that this comment is upvoted so

I think there's a reason we do not just blindly follow the numbers. They can lie just as much, sometimes more. I'm a bit alarmed that this comment is upvoted so highly, given the criticisms of fMRI studies just below. Haven't we learned something from all the replicability issues? If you want people to be prepared for life, you need to prepare them for life. This life is hard to live, and we mostly just throw people to the wolves and act surprised when they get eaten. Waiting extra years will not magically impart them with missing wisdom, and all the people who end up in the criminal justice system likely have poor families and will only be worse off having to spend even more time with them. I would, to the contrary, would like to see more means for independence. I'm still not sure why parents need to subsidize everything.