@wis75 At 18 they’re still kids. That is a fact with which I became very aware over my teas in the military. Two weeks after my 18th birthday I was conscripted into the military, where I proceeded to spend the next 3 years of my life. All the kids who were drafted with me were also 18, and so were about 1/3 of all the kids with whom I interacted for the next three years.
They draft kids at 18, and not, say, at 22, specifically because they’re still kids at 18. At 18 they don’t give almost any though about the consequences and implications of any of their actions. At 18 they think that it’s all fun and games, even when they start dying. Common sense is antithetical to being a combat soldier, and so is critical thinking. Guidance at 18 has profound affects, which is how commanding officers and NCOs can get kids to run into a firefight on their commander’s say-so.
So, based on my 3 years in regular service alongside kids in the 18-21 age range, and to my 11 years of serving alongside kids of this age when I was a reservist in my 20s, I can say that yes, these kids would definitely benefit from guidance and support.