Is it okay for a 24-year-old guy and a 16-year-old girl to date if it is legal in their country?

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Hi Salvine! I personally don’t have any moral problems with it. Far as I’m concerned, 16 year olds are well into puberty and so long as normal precautions against pregnancy are taken, something you’re more likely to see with a more mature partner, hopefully, then it can be a wonderful experience that both people will cherish into the future.

Start getting much younger though, and you’re messing with the person’s emotional development.

The other main issue is familial. If the young person’s family is against it, and I’ve never seen a family that was actually cool with their 16 year old baby to date an older person, then you don’t and can never really have a ‘normal’ relationship with them. So a certain amount of sneaking around is necessary. Keep aware that a romantic relationship is not worth familial drama. Play it very safe. The last thing anybody wants is angry brothers or uncles coming after you.

Where I live, 16 years is the age of consent. Despite that, I’ve not pursued any romantic opportunities with any teenagers. Again, I’m not morally opposed to it, it’s just really difficult and it would have to be really interesting for me to want to overcome the hurdles.