I'm glad this topic has been brought up. Not so much for the cadet. They won't be treated any different than anyone else. Many cadets are 17 or just turning 18 in BCT and the beginning of the academic year.
But what is important, is for parents to know that this is NOT LIKE COLLEGE. When a parent take their son/daughter off to college, they still have a sense of responsibility for their son/daughter. Even though the child is or will turn 18 shortly after, most parents feel that THEY are still "IN CHARGE" of their son/daughter for the next 4-5 years. Legally, once the child turns 18, they are free to do whatever they want. The only power the parent maintains is that they can basically say: "We're paying/supporting you in college, therefore you have to abide by some/most of our rules/wishes/decisions".
The military/academy is a bit different. When the parent signs the paper because their son/daughter are 17, they are providing legal emancipation. The individual becomes a legal adult in the eyes of the law. Also, the parent has basically no rights left. Forget that the academy may appear to be a college. Your son/daughter has JOINED THE MILITARY. They are no longer your responsibility. They can not be claimed on your taxes any longer. They are not on your medical insurance. Any concerns you may have while they are there, is up to your son/daughter to address. In other words, you're not going to be able to call the academy and address concerns. The academy of course would be polite to you if you called; but they will deal with the cadet. Not the parent. A very often asked question concerns their son/daughter's health and well being. The only way you will be able to address concerns is IF your son/daughter give you PERMISSION.
I'm not bringing this up to be mean. But there are a lot of parents who are/were very involved with their son/daughter's college life. Once your child signs into the academy (THE MILITARY), you, the parent, will never again be consulted with, asked permission, required to sign anything, informed of anything, etc... Your son/daughter are now adults. Everything goes through them. Anything you want to know or are concerned with, must go through them. If they aren't concerned with it, then there's no concern. It is really hard for many academy parents to distinguish the difference between "Attending the Academy" (And joining the military); with "Going off to College".