To think we should up the age of consent to 18?

[whatnet]

I just have this utterly sick feeling about the constant narrative pushed in the UK about a CHILD being ‘16’ and therefore, “what is your problem?”… “it’s ‘legal’” I am so sick of the exploitation of our girls in this country. Our CHILDREN. Our future. Who do not have a voice, because they are children. They need to be protected. I will pre empt some of your arguments. The UK government has classified the violence against Women and Girls as a “National Threat”

https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/tackling-violence-against-women-and-girls-in-the-uk/

A 16 year old girl is a child and should be protected as a child, by law.

Emotionally - yes. Practically - nope. In ideal world teenagers shouldn't shag, but they do, and criminalizing young lovers would only be counterproductive.

In ideal world teenagers shouldn't shag

Eh?

Eh?

16 is a bit too young for sexual relationships, but that's just my opinion.

😂😂😂

I think the OPs posts are ridiculous.

There are loads of 16/17 yos who are emotionally mature enough to have a sexual relationship with people of a similar age. Loads of teens wait till they are older, some a bit younger.

The huge age gaps for a 16/17 yo with a 30+ yo man is the only thing in the law that should be changed in order to be able to prosecute men grooming 16 yo girls. Don't think there is anything you can do from 18+ though.

Something needs to change to prevent weird adult men sleeping with 16/17 year olds. Have seen this justification with Russell Brand - "why does it matter if he was having a schoolgirl picked up from school to fuck, she was 16, it's legal!".

I think there should be an age-range. 16 year olds can go 3 years above, 17 year olds 4 years above, maybe. So 16 and a 19 year old is fine, but not 20+. 17 and 21 fine, but not over. Or 2 years... 16/18 fine, 17/19 fine. There must be something.

It's strange that adults can fuck what are legally considered children, but can't receive a nude photo from them as it's child sexual abuse material then. Idk

“Something needs to change to prevent weird adult men sleeping with 16/17 year olds. Have seen this justification with Russell Brand - "why does it matter if he was having a schoolgirl picked up from school to fuck, she was 16, it's legal!".

Exactly this. Romeo and Juliet laws have been explained. The fact that 16 and 17 year olds should still be seen as children- by law, has been explained. CPS guidelines have been explained, in that no one is looking to prosecute teenagers for having consensual sex. Raising the age of consent is about protecting children from predators and nothing more. It is not about prosecuting THEM. How strange that grown women (I assume) need to constantly post about themselves and their own sexual experiences, and neglect to make reference to the fact that raising the age of consent actually has nothing to do with their own, or other teenage (child) sexual experiences, it’s about child protection.

Don't get me wrong. I lost my virginity when I was 14 to a 15 year old (but only 1 month between us haha). But I was also having sexual relationships with men who were 25-27 when I was 17, which is perhaps normal to want at age 17... but being 27 now, I can't imagine wanting to have sex with a 17 year old.

So, while I think it might be normal for the 16/17 year old to want older sexual partners,... I think the weird bit is that people in their mid 20s want to have sex with the younger ones! Disgusts me.

“Lilova · Today 18:54

Don't get me wrong. I lost my virginity when I was 14 to a 15 year old (but only 1 month between us haha). But I was also having sexual relationships with men who were 25-27 when I was 17, which is perhaps normal to want at age 17... but being 27 now, I can't imagine wanting to have sex with a 17 year old.

So, while I think it might be normal for the 16/17 year old to want older sexual partners,... I think the weird bit is that people in their mid 20s want to have sex with the younger ones! Disgusts me.”

But, you are a crazy pearl clutcher, you are damaging your children. What the actual fuck. No! We are calling out the weirdos and pedos that target young children (16 and 17 year olds) because they are ‘fair game’ 🤢 this thread is full of enablers and nutcases who try to gaslight us.

It’s you who’s doing the gaslighting if you think paedophilia involves 16 and 17 year olds.

100% this. Some of the OPs posts are ridiculous.

Yup – paedophilia relates to pre-pubescent children. 🫤

This thread is ridiculous.

OP should stay away from this campaign irl as she is not the right person to garner support for it.

Some of the stuff about R&J laws for under 21s (for example) has some merit to it but OP communicates in a way that is likely to alienate any potential supporters.

I think so too, esp at the suggestion of increasing consent age to 21. Why 21, when their brain is half developed? Why not 25 or above, when brain gets fully developed? Meanwhile all these 'kids' become parents (imagine taking care of children 24/7 with under developed brains) when you cannot even , own jobs, buy properties, go to war... 😭

Some of the stuff about R&J laws for under 21s

(meaning age range from 16-21 for 16 year olds, for eg – not restrictions for 18-21 year olds…)

Definitely, its pretty straightforward, if you made it simplistic like no more than 5 year gap for a 16/17 year old would be fine. 5 years probably not ideal un some circumstances but it would stop the grooming/person in authority type relationships.

I am just wondering where all these really immature 16/17 yos are that need to be treated like little kids, in my experience that is not the case the majority of the time, the only experiences I have are where the parents baby them which obviously makes them behave younger .

No! We are calling out the weirdos and pedos that target young children (16 and 17 year olds)
I consider 16 and 17 year olds to be young adults. They are certainly not young children.

What is the world is going on with this thread? Why are 16 and 17 year olds being called young children? I was not a young child when I was 16, and that was some thirty years ago. Kids today are far more intelligent and smart than I ever was at their age, and it is not funny to infantilize them to this extent where you call consenting teens about to prepare for a college life and possibly having romantic relationships, as young children.

The reason I avoid X and similar platforms these days is because of this absolute nonsense where any relationship that is considered inappropriate is defined as P-philia. Woman 28, man 48? The man is called the P word. Woman 18 years, man 24? The man is called the P word. Not only is this wrong, it is also dangerous when you use the word so much you dilute its seriousness and everyone is unprepared when real Predators target pre-pubecent kids.

I saw some drivel just yday about how it is "inappropriate for a 20 yr old to go out with a 19 year as there was a whole year's gap between them, what can they possibly have to talk about? I wonder what the mental age of these posters are.

I live in a country where age of consent is 18. But dating is taboo. Arranged marriage is the norm. Even the police chase away lovers who want to congregate in public places. OP, by your own theory, this would mean that #childrenareprotected and everything is peachy, right, OP?

Do you want to know if the above strict laws helped in turning my country into an utopia where all children are protected, OP? Do you want to know the statistics of r@pe and unwed moms and the amount of lying and sneaking around that goes on by horny teens and adults in my country? Go on. Ask me.

Teach your daughters about healthy relationships
I doubt the OP knows much about healthy relationships if her posts are anything to go by.

YANBU, but even then I’d argue age-relative consent ages would be more appropriate. More complicated, yes, but I feel girls would be much safer this way. For example, a 16YO and 17YO having sex, fine. A 16YO and 22YO? Not so fine. I don’t know exactly how the ages would work, but something like 16-18, 18-21, etc.

Hmm I was 9 when I started puberty, was definitely not ready to consent to sex at 11.

Some people are just morons. The only way the comment about the 19 yo and the 20 yo dating would make any sense is if they’re taking the piss.

The other examples are equally as bonkers!

16/17 year olds might be "young adults" developmentally, but not legally - they cannot legally do porn etc it would be classed as child abuse. If someone gave them money or drugs or booze or shelter in return for sex it would still be classed as child sexual exploitation. So if someone exploited a 16 year old for sex and it was called CSE, would you be saying "but they aren't children!"?. If someone was convicted for having CSEM on their harddrive would be saying "well they aren't children though"? Should those legal protections not apply to the ages of 16/17, since they are young adults? At that age they can still access child mental health services and child protective services still have a duty of care to them etc.

I definitely don't think the age of consent should be 18 necessarily. I do think there should be upper limits on how old their sexual partners could be though.

And no, it's not pedophilia for a 40 year old to have sex with a 16 year old, but it's still creepy. Any man that age going for under 18s would be shunned from any friend group I know. Young adults or not, legally they are minors still.

TBH I’m not sure for a nanosecond that restricting young people ever works. I think some people forget what it’s like to be young