i used to each 8th grade at a poor school. I had the low math (remedial) class, so it was the worst of the worst. Classroom full of 13 and 14 year olds.
They were kids. Some carried handguns, some sold drugs, many of them were having sex. Two of them were rumored to have had lezbo action for $ for others to view. One was HIV positive. One had an abortion that year.
You looked at them, and they looked like adults. hoochies, sure. But they looked like adults. Dressed more whore-ish than college girls did. But when you spend time with them - they're not "all there" yet. They're still really naive, immature, and dumb on a lot of consequences. Their brains don't have that cognitive ability yet - to see consequences, or to separate emotion from actions.
They are still kids at 14 and 15. They might be fvckable - but they're still kids, mentally. They might be shrewd, they might be smart, they might be more experienced than a 30 year old. But their cognitive processes are still that of kids.