^^I agree with the grey lady. just because a child thinks it is a good idea, does not mean it is.
if anyone is counting I was 25, yes 25 - do I get a special certificate for winning? LOL
many of the cases quoted involve large age gaps, which has to be wrong because of the imbalance of power - we all know young girls feel flattered by the attention, they want romance and love and happy ever after but all too often they get a quick shag that's not up to much and then dumped - or are cajoled into doing stuff they are not quite happy with but go along with. I know a man who "stole" his sons 13 yo girl friend. he was 43 and until then a seemingly happily married father of 5 boys! was he chasing his lost youth, looking for excitement or a closet pervert, who knows?
I think the idea of a 13 yo feeling grown up enough for sex is akin to a 4 yo getting a buzz from being allowed to borrow mummys make up and high heels. I am an ex- teacher and the vast majority of 13 yos are not as emotionally stable and mature as they think! and if you have watched the documentaries about STDs in teens it is alarming how little some of them seem to know. infertility because of chlamydia is a huge problem. boys still go on about not wanting to use condoms because sex is not good enough then. I heard this discussion recently outside Tesco - group of 3 14 ish boys "she wants me to wear a johnny, I mean it's not right man" "yeah, thats well bad". I have taught Y8 girls who were running a brothel in their parents home in the school lunch hour - being paid for sex acts with y10 lads.
I have a friend with a 13 yo who is always on about what her wedding will be like and how she cannot wait to have a baby. no thought of growing up, seeing the world, getting some qualifications or a job at all.
given the prevalence and availability online of porn (lets face it much of which is not what you might term standard sex) I really worry about our young teens false expectations of what is "normal".
I find it all terribly sad.
sorry for the long post.