Have you recently turned 16, or have a 16-year-old child and are wondering exactly what you/they can legally do at this milestone age? Look no further! Since eSpares is currently celebrating its Sweet 16th birthday, we were curious as to all the options now open to us. The result? This unofficial (and in no way recommended) guide.

1) Register to Vote

If you are truly keen to get your foot in the voting door and have your say about the running of the country, making sure you are registered to vote when you turn 16 is a good way to go about it, leaving you ready to go 2 years in advance. There’s no such thing as being too early, right?

2) Get Married (with parental consent)

Found your soulmate while still in secondary school? Lucky you! However, if you want to tie the knot before you’re 18 you need to convince your parents that it’s not just puppy love you’re feeling.

3) Leave Home

16 marks the age you can officially wave bon voyage to your family, moving out into the big wide world. However, you need to be deemed mature enough to do so by the courts and can be promptly dragged back again if you’re considered to be in danger.

4) Get Frisky

I don’t think we need to spell out what this one means.

5) Apply for a Passport

You can now officially apply for an adult passport, allowing you to travel unaccompanied without parental permission. Now, unless you have very generous/rich parents, you just need to save up your pocket money to afford the flight. We hear Cyprus is nice this time of year.

6) Drink (in extreme moderation)

Can’t wait until you’re 18 to start drinking away your problems? Don’t worry! When visiting a restaurant with someone of age, you can enjoy a beverage with your meal.

7) Join the Army (with parental consent)

Although you have to be 18 to be deployed and serve within the army, you can sign up and begin training at 16. Just be warned kids, it’s nothing like Call of Duty.

8) Buy a Pet

Have your parents been refusing to buy you a puppy? No problem! Now you can buy one yourself and bring it home as a nice surprise for your family. Whether they will let you keep it (or trust you ever again) is another matter entirely.

9) Buy a Lottery Ticket

Dreading having to start work and earn a living? Start investing in your future now by stocking up on lottery tickets, increasing your chances of becoming a millionaire.

10) Get a Piercing

There is no better way to advertise your rebellious teen status than getting a piercing (or 2). Take that, mum and dad.

11) Drive a Tractor

Whether you want to be a farmer or just find an alternative way to travel, being 16 gives you the freedom to operate a tractor (although you need lessons first).

12) Pilot a Glider

If a tractor wasn’t cool enough for you, or you simply don’t want to be tied to land, once you turn 16 you can get your hands on a glider license, allowing you to be head and shoulders above your fellow teens.

13) Change your name by Deed Poll

Not a fan of the name your parents gave you? Well, now you don’t have to live with it any longer as you can change your name to something more to your liking.

14) Register as a Blood Donor

We were going to try and throw in some kind of vampire joke, but all the ones we thought of sucked…

Anyway, you can register as a blood donor at 16 in preparation to donate on your next birthday.

15) Work as a Street Trader

Have you ever gone to a market and thought, ‘Wow, I wish I too could stand there screaming prices at potential customers’? You’re in luck! You can now sell yours or an employer’s wares on the street.

16) Sell Scrap Metal

If you don’t fancy being a street trader, maybe this will be more up your alley. Why not sell scrap metal for some extra cash? It may not be a steady workflow but it surely gains you more cool points.

So that’s 16 things you can do when you turn 16. Did you have a go at any of these when you turned 16? Let us know in the comments! If not, why not find out how to fix your pesky first world problems next? If there’s anything teens love, its quick fixes for mild inconveniences.

Tags: Guide, Sweet 16