The age of consent ...(sex)

[Korolev]

As probably mentioned before, the absolute minimum age here in Australia is 16, I think. However, I strongly believe it should be 18 or higher. Many young people are just not ready for real relationships.

I don't think you could stop it however. I think it should be stopped, but realistically, no one can. Under-age sex has been around since forever. As long as the age of the two people involved are roughly similar (give or take a year) then no serious charges should be laid. Sex with anyone under 13 should definitely be illegal and classified as rape as most people haven't undergone puberty by that stage and thus, can't enjoy sex or have any real conception of what it is.

If I were the world's dictator I would raise the age to 18 for everyone at least. It still wouldn't stop them from doing it though. But hey, just because the fight is lost doesn't mean its not worth fighting regardless. Even if we manage to only convince/scare a few young people into not having sex, it would have been worth it.

And no, I'm not a crazy christian catholic. I am an atheist. I do not want very young people to have sex because:

1) In general, the younger you are the more naive you are and thus more likely to make a serious mistake or be taken advantage of
2) We have enough damn people in this world. We don't need more. Young people are more likely to not use contraceptive devices and fall pregnant (due to how blazingly silly some young people are - apparently many 16 year olds think that Coca Cola can be used as a spermicide. Which is silly)
3) It's important for people to enter into meaningful relationships. Having sex too early and forming relationships before you are ready can seriously mess people up. I've seen the disasters first hand and they can have a lasting impact.

 

[Crimson Cade]

Well, Here in Norway Sex is permitted at the age of 16.

15 if the partner is same age.

I frown at the idea of people well over 18 having sex with 16 year olds. It reeks of exploitation, as I can't agree that a well-balanced adult can have a meaningful and equal sexual relationship to someone that much younger.

As a CPS worker, I know that maturity and interest in sex is very different from person to person. I have known people who have been sexually active since 12, because their drives and interests was developed early. And I have known people who have not been interested in sex until late teens and even early 20s.

Personally and professionally, I would say that you do more damage to a youth by making it think that there is something very wrong with it in order to deter it from exploring their natural urges, than allowing it to act on their urges in a responsible manner. Within reason, of course. If your kid is completely obsessed, or overly aggressive on it, then your responsibility as a parent is to seek counseling. Because then there is most likely something more to it.

 

[Socius]

As a CPS worker, I know that maturity and interest in sex is very different from person to person. I have known people who have been sexually active since 12, because their drives and interests was developed early. And I have known people who have not been interested in sex until late teens and even early 20s.

yeah, there are many people who has sex first time as very low age, I know this girl whom lost her virginity in third grade, to another third grader. Even the thought of small children knowing this stuff is kind of disturbing, alas I don't want them to go around until they are of sexual age without knowing anything about sex, protection and pregnancy.
that would be dangerous.

 

[iamthehorde]

germany here. i think it´s legal to have sex when you are 14 and your parents allow it(no joke). your girl/boyfriend has to be the same age and must have also an allowance. when you turn 16 it´s up to you. however, as far as i know, when you become 18, it´s illegal again if your girl/boyfriend is under 16 and not allowed to have sex with you, and vice versa. i also think all of this applies to homosexuals as well, although i´m not sure.

seems to me that the age where kids think losing their virginity is appropiate is actually much younger. but when i think back to when i was 12, getting laid is something like the next goal in life, so it´s no wonder. i guess it´s pretty normal nowadays to have your first sex around 14, 15. i was 18 and already felt like a perma-virgin by then. it´s cool for me if the kids have fun and explore, but if i feel like it´s all because the media imprinted it in their heads and we have kids at 14 acting all macho or whore-like i get insta-headache.

now at 24, i couldn´t think of dating a girl younger than 18. even 20 seems pretty young for me. one time, i was 19 by the time, a 14 year old girl that really didn´t look like 14 at all(i thought she´d be at least 17) had a crush on me and it made me feel really weird. i ended up being quite an asshole towards her so she would stop stalking me i´m sorry. she was pretty intelligent and i´m sure she looks really hot now at 19.

 

[Julianking93]

I don't think there should be an age of consent.

The age of consent doesn't make any difference. If people are gonna fuck, they're gonna fuck no matter what the law says.

People say that "The age of consent cuts down on rapes" Oh, fuck off! A rapist isn't gonna give a shit what the law says. He's already gonna rape someone, he's not gonna be like, "Oh, your just 17, I shouldn't rape you today."

But then pedophiles take this to mean they can go molest children with impunity.

Goddamn it, only about 2 people here seem to get my point, and you're about the 4th person to give me this same bullshit.

I'm not saying that its okay to rape, there still has to be consent (not age, just that they were willing and wanting to have sex) a 5 year old doesn't know what sex is so therefore they cant give consent.

 

[Julianking93]

I don't think there should be an age of consent.

The age of consent doesn't make any difference. If people are gonna fuck, they're gonna fuck no matter what the law says.

People say that "The age of consent cuts down on rapes" Oh, fuck off! A rapist isn't gonna give a shit what the law says. He's already gonna rape someone, he's not gonna be like, "Oh, your just 17, I shouldn't rape you today."

It's more statchatory rape, for those older men taking advantage of ignorant young girls. Like if your 20 and the girl is 15 even if she consents it's still rape.

OT: Here in the US I believe it's at a reletivley good age. (16).

Yeah, like what Roman Pilanski is getting arrested for. That means that my girlfriend could be arrested for rape. (She's 21, I'm 16.)

And the legal age here in the US is 18 mostly, but in states like Rhode Island, its 16.

I'm pretty sure that 16 is considered mature enough to make a consentual decision that can override your parents if they cared, so I don't think thats illegal. And if I'm wrong how are they gonna catch you?

That's why I think some laws about sex are bullshit. Did you know that in the US (I just know this about my country) if I (16) were to have sex with a different girl (15) we would both become registered sex offenders? First off, how the hell are they gonna know? (Currently, if the police where to know of my relationship (I 16, she 21), she'd become a sex offender and I would be a rape victim like the kids who had sex with their teachers.)

The same goes with age of consent laws. If two teens have sex that are underage, how are you gonna convict them of it?

 

[cleverlymadeup]

And no, I'm not a crazy christian catholic. I am an atheist. I do not want very young people to have sex because:

1) In general, the younger you are the more naive you are and thus more likely to make a serious mistake or be taken advantage of
2) We have enough damn people in this world. We don't need more. Young people are more likely to not use contraceptive devices and fall pregnant (due to how blazingly silly some young people are - apparently many 16 year olds think that Coca Cola can be used as a spermicide. Which is silly)
3) It's important for people to enter into meaningful relationships. Having sex too early and forming relationships before you are ready can seriously mess people up. I've seen the disasters first hand and they can have a lasting impact.

you do realize that some good sex education can cure all of this right and frankly the third point is overly subjective and can really happen at any age and could mostly be cured by some good old fashioned education as well

Saaya Irie [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saaya_Irie] is a Japanese idol/actress/model who will shortly turn 16 years old. She has a body [http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/1576/saaya01.jpg] that puts the majority [http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5900/saaya02.jpg] of adults to shame [http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1606/saaya03.jpg]. In the linked pictures she's anywhere between 12 and 15 years old, I can't even tell. Is it pedophilia to be attracted to her? No, it can't be since there's nothing prepubescent about her appearance. It is what it is, and normal men are biologically programmed to respond to it.

you can tell she's pretty young in those pictures, sure she's rather well developed but you can still tell she's pretty young in those pictures. i'm sure too many people just look at them and say "wow she's got big boobs, she must be over 18" however boobs != a judge of age. if you want great proof of this look up someone called Melissa Ashley and the story behind her and what's happened to some of her fans

 

[Julianking93]

The age of consent doesn't make any difference. If people are gonna fuck, they're gonna fuck no matter what the law says.

Well going by that logic you may as well not have any laws.

Being I couldn't care less about sex, I don't really mind. But I do actually think 16 is pushing it, and it does seem pedo-lific to me.

A pedophile is attracted to prepubescent children. Being attracted to a 16 year old girl doesn't qualify as pedophilia if she is physically mature, and she likely is.

Saaya Irie [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saaya_Irie] is a Japanese idol/actress/model who will shortly turn 16 years old. She has a body [http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/1576/saaya01.jpg] that puts the majority [http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5900/saaya02.jpg] of adults to shame [http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/1606/saaya03.jpg]. In the linked pictures she's anywhere between 12 and 15 years old, I can't even tell. Is it pedophilia to be attracted to her? No, it can't be since there's nothing prepubescent about her appearance. It is what it is, and normal men are biologically programmed to respond to it.

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

That girl's my age??!! I'm now in love.

 

[Raven's Nest]

No I think the majority of porn just degrades women in the eyes of an adolescent male. If anything I believe it can fuel these 'episodes' as the lines between fantasy and reality can become easily blurred when seeing some thing like hardcore porn, domination and bondage etc.

Depends on viewers maturity, many viewers can distinguish between reality and fantasy. Also, your argument is very similar to the argument which follows that video games blur the lines between fantasy and reality, and therefore video games increase violence. You'll need to prove that viewing fantasy material (by that i mean video games or porn, or even reading novels say)blurs our perception of reality.

I don't mean to say it'll affect everyone in a dramatic way. But I would argue that exposing someone to a situation deemed to be normal, will help de-sensitize you to the notion that it isn't. This does of course have varying degrees of effect from person to person, but I think people who are not ready to deal with these kind of images, either by lack of maturity or from some other mental problem, will be affected in a negative way.

It's true the argument is the same for films and games and I think there is some merit in those arguments. It will always be a small minority that are affected but it happens nonetheless.

I don't think chav's, louts or whatever you want to call them are avid hardcore porn fans. Most of the sexual imagery people are exposed to is softcore, which you said before is a more appropaite outlet. Going along your line of reasoning, are you still sure about this?

You don't have to be a porn fan to have seen harcore pornography. I'll bet there isn't a kid under the age of 18 in Britain who hasen't at least heard of what happens in porn.

All I know is that when I'm out, I see most men and boys treat women with far less respect than we use to. Even in a time where women are almost treated equally in a professional world, I still see even more and more kids treating women like shit.

Softcore porn is meant to put women on a pedastle, to idolize them and make them seem to be something really special and desirable.

Hardcore porn in my opinion is making women appear worthless and desparate. It can seem very degrading and certainly doesn't make me think any better of the women involved than looking like total sluts.

Now i'm not a traditionalist or anything, and I enjoy a bit of porn like anyone else but I think there is case to be made that kids these days tend to think less of women because of porn, far before they ever get to experience what sex is really about. If there's any girls out there reading this, I'd like to know what you think.

 

[Nickolai77]

I don't mean to say it'll affect everyone in a dramatic way. But I would argue that exposing someone to a situation deemed to be normal, will help de-sensitize you to the notion that it isn't. This does of course have varying degrees of effect from person to person, but I think people who are not ready to deal with these kind of images, either by lack of maturity or from some other mental problem, will be affected in a negative way.

It's true the argument is the same for films and games and I think there is some merit in those arguments. It will always be a small minority that are affected but it happens nonetheless.

Well i think i would mostly agree there. While i think exsessive viewing of hard core porn may de-sensitise people, i think only a small number of immature or mentally unstable individuals would come to think that hard core porn is normal practise in the bedroom. The majority however will be able to make the distinction between fantasy and reality, and since there is no harm caused by viewing hard core porn for the majority of these rational adults viewing such material i don't see why it should be banned for them.

(For the record, i am defining hard core porn as BDSM, inducing pain via whipping for exhample, or anything that could cause minor damage to the body. Anything more than that and i think issues regarding reasonable consent arise, but thats a different feild of debate)

You don't have to be a porn fan to have seen harcore pornography. I'll bet there isn't a kid under the age of 18 in Britain who hasen't at least heard of what happens in porn.

All I know is that when I'm out, I see most men and boys treat women with far less respect than we use to. Even in a time where women are almost treated equally in a professional world, I still see even more and more kids treating women like shit.

Softcore porn is meant to put women on a pedastle, to idolize them and make them seem to be something really special and desirable.

Hardcore porn in my opinion is making women appear worthless and desparate. It can seem very degrading and certainly doesn't make me think any better of the women involved than looking like total sluts.

Now i'm not a traditionalist or anything, and I enjoy a bit of porn like anyone else but I think there is case to be made that kids these days tend to think less of women because of porn, far before they ever get to experience what sex is really about. If there's any girls out there reading this, I'd like to know what you think.

Kids under the age of 18 viewing hard core porn probably will lead them to viewing women as inferior and less respect, that is why, quite rightly, viewing such material is for adults only. Of whom, bar a minority, will still treat women with respect and dignity in the real world.

I would'nt trace the lack of respect that some young people have for women down to hard core porn, it sounds a bit reductionist to me. I myself would blame the general sexualisation of women in the media, the decline in victorian values (both a good and bad thing), and the general content of their music.

Likewise, i'm interested too in what females have to say on this matter.

 

[soulsabr]

I don't think there should be an age of consent.

The age of consent doesn't make any difference. If people are gonna fuck, they're gonna fuck no matter what the law says.

People say that "The age of consent cuts down on rapes" Oh, fuck off! A rapist isn't gonna give a shit what the law says. He's already gonna rape someone, he's not gonna be like, "Oh, your just 17, I shouldn't rape you today."

So, basically you agree a 50 year old should have legal rights to screw a 5 year old? I would imagine you didn't think that response completely through. Age of consent laws are really aimed at stopping acts like that.

I was mainly aiming it at the reason consent laws are in place. A 5 year old isn't going to agree to sex, so therefore, its rape.

Which also shows you don't deal with children very much. A young child will give consent to a lot of things if somebody they look up to and/or respects asks. The problem is, children don't have the experience or knowledge to make such choices and so it might seem ok for them to give the ok. The laws in place are there to protect children from predators that would take advantage of this naivety.

 

[Julianking93]

I don't think there should be an age of consent.

The age of consent doesn't make any difference. If people are gonna fuck, they're gonna fuck no matter what the law says.

People say that "The age of consent cuts down on rapes" Oh, fuck off! A rapist isn't gonna give a shit what the law says. He's already gonna rape someone, he's not gonna be like, "Oh, your just 17, I shouldn't rape you today."

So, basically you agree a 50 year old should have legal rights to screw a 5 year old? I would imagine you didn't think that response completely through. Age of consent laws are really aimed at stopping acts like that.

I was mainly aiming it at the reason consent laws are in place. A 5 year old isn't going to agree to sex, so therefore, its rape.

Which also shows you don't deal with children very much. A young child will give consent to a lot of things if somebody they look up to and/or respects asks. The problem is, children don't have the experience or knowledge to make such choices and so it might seem ok for them to give the ok. The laws in place are there to protect children from predators that would take advantage of this naivety.

Wrong, I deal with children a lot. I'm a camp instructor for 5-10 year olds.

And you've got a point, children will consent to many a things but who honestly is going to believe a 50 year old fat guy is having consensual sexual relationship with a fucking 5 year old?

 

[soulsabr]

I don't think there should be an age of consent.

The age of consent doesn't make any difference. If people are gonna fuck, they're gonna fuck no matter what the law says.

People say that "The age of consent cuts down on rapes" Oh, fuck off! A rapist isn't gonna give a shit what the law says. He's already gonna rape someone, he's not gonna be like, "Oh, your just 17, I shouldn't rape you today."

So, basically you agree a 50 year old should have legal rights to screw a 5 year old? I would imagine you didn't think that response completely through. Age of consent laws are really aimed at stopping acts like that.

I was mainly aiming it at the reason consent laws are in place. A 5 year old isn't going to agree to sex, so therefore, its rape.

Which also shows you don't deal with children very much. A young child will give consent to a lot of things if somebody they look up to and/or respects asks. The problem is, children don't have the experience or knowledge to make such choices and so it might seem ok for them to give the ok. The laws in place are there to protect children from predators that would take advantage of this naivety.

Wrong, I deal with children a lot. I'm a camp instructor for 5-10 year olds.

And you've got a point, children will consent to many a things but who honestly is going to believe a 50 year old fat guy is having consensual sexual relationship with a fucking 5 year old?

consent : permission, approval, or agreement; compliance; acquiescence

I would very readily think that a five year old would give consent fairly easily. The five year old will not know what he/she is getting into, but I don't doubt that the child would consent to it. The fact that the child does not have an understanding as to the consequences of their actions is what the laws are all about; protection. I actually now worry about the fact that you are a camp instructor and know so little about how a child's mind works.