If they don't consider history as a minor, they should refuse to grant clearances to anyone under 25 or 28.
I also seem to recall being granted S, TS, TS/SCI, etc. is a lot easier/faster if you're in the military than if you're a contractor. Different queue, different investigators, and higher presumed loyalty to the US. (i.e. you were willing to roll the dice and potentially be stuck as a cook for 4-8 years, which a spy might not be willing to do)
Yeah, I know a few folks who got their TS investigations opened and shut in about 2 months. It takes longer the older you are anyway especially if you've moved around a lot or have foreign relatives. I've seen it take as long as 3 years.
I think minors aren't really investigated because they simply don't have much of a paper trail to look into. Their security profile matches their parent's more than their own. But who knows.
I also seem to recall being granted S, TS, TS/SCI, etc. is a lot easier/faster if you're in the military than if you're a contractor. Different queue, different investigators, and higher presumed loyalty to the US. (i.e. you were willing to roll the dice and potentially be stuck as a cook for 4-8 years, which a spy might not be willing to do)