"it's up to them"
I don't think we should come up with an arbitrary number but just let people mutually consent and if somebody older manipulates the 16 year old in some abusive way then they should be prosecuted on a case-by-case basis.
My daughters are allowed to date the day after they get married!
r.i.p. alleria. 1997-2017. blizzard ruined alleria forever. blizz assassinated alleria's character and appearance.
i will never forgive you for this blizzard.
It differs between son and daughter. Just complying with society's double standard.
The wise wolf who's pride is her wisdom isn't so sharp as drunk.
I would probably say they need to be in high school with them. I wouldn't say I have a hard cut off number but it goes to say if a 35 year old man showed up to pick up my 16 year old daughter that one of us get getting our ass kicked.
age of consent in germany is 14, just for info
for the question asked: i would hope i could trust my offspring to decide for themselves
Federal law only generally applies if the state doesn't have a law about it first. There are exceptions but I haven't heard of one for age of consent.
13 states = 18
7 states = 17
The rest are all 16.
Also statutory rape (the federal law you are taking about) only really covers 12-16
What Is the Age of Consent?
Federal law makes it criminal to engage in a sexual act with another person who is between the age of 12 and 16 if they are at least four years younger than you. Each state takes a different approach as the age of consent has ranged from 10 to 18. Some states, such as California and New York, set an age at which all sexual intercourse is considered statutory rape. For example, a state might set the age of consent at 18. In this hypothetical state, two seventeen-year-olds who had consensual sex could both theoretically be convicted of statutory rape.
MMO-Champ the place where calling out trolls get you into more trouble than trolling.
A strict number isn't that important.
Kids aren't dating before high school. In high school, they can date other high school students. If they're in a relationship with an older student who graduates, fine, whatever, but they're not starting any new relationship with someone past high school age until they're at least a senior.
There is just too big of a power imbalance in a relationship between an adult out of school and a kid who's never been on their own yet.