In my book, kids read Harry Potter. Kids sneak spinach into their milk cartons. Kids teach their parents and their uncles about computers. Kids can't drive anything except a bicycle. Kids play football, then go to McDonald's for milk shakes.
Kids are children.
Most important and significant in this issue, they are expected to act like children. College-age men and women are old enough to vote. They can fight and die in war. They are tried as adults in the courts. If they are on the campus, they at least in theory should be progressing to responsible adulthood.