It obviously shouldn't be lowered to 14. What the hell?

Neither
It's fine how it is

How would that work in the U.K.? Lower the age and suddenly kids start using all the free contraception available to them? It might be a better idea to stop sexualising children, sex is shoved down our throats literally, even so called "family" viewing like soaps can't go a week without a sexual storyline, Britain is obsessed with sex and not in a healthy way. 16 is fine, 14 is a bit creepy, I'm not saying there aren't mature 14 year olds but they are few and far between

Decriminalise (but don't encourage) from 14 but only with other teens up to age 17, keep the age of across the board consent at 16. Covers all scenarios, I think.

I don't think young teens should be having sex, but it does happen and nothing is going to stop that. Having teenagers end up with criminal records and sometimes on the sex offenders register for having sex with other teenagers is a ridiculous situation.

This^

People are still immature at 16 nevermind 14.I'd leave it at 16.That's the absolute minimum i reckon.

Its a bit creepy cause of the thoughts that go through our heads qhen we think of it.

I bet there are a good few married couples out there that knew eachother when they were 14.

I can remember some of my strongest feelings of love were when i was round about that age. You must remember finishing with your boyfriend at that age.

I remember how sore i would feel inside and how i would sit alone iny bedroom at home listening to sad songs.

So 2 well sexually educated consenting 14 yr olds obviously in love should not be denied by law to share in the joys of sex?

Yes because they're bloody kids, jesus, a lot of girls haven't even had their first period at 14 :/ They should be thinking about school and their exams etc not the bloody joys of sex

Nah.

Sex could be the answer. I know it relieves the stress of my day. So it could aid exam results thus making them better more educated adults as they didnt suffer from the stress that the pressure thats put on them from pushy parents to get good exam results...its either that or weed.

I hope you are not calling me a pushy parent? Sorry about that I'll just go tell my kids to go smoke a joint and have a ride instead of trying to do well at school :umm2:

Of course not. I would never be as personal as that.:nono:

Maybe they could do a little of both and do really well at school.


A ride.:joker: now that takes me back to my teenage years.

You don´t have to have sex to relieve stress. You can do it solo.

So because of your own experiences at 14 you want the age of consent reduced, 80 per cent of 14 year olds are not ready for a mature sexual relationship, no one can stop two consenting 14 years old from having a relationship, anymore than an 18 tag can stop pre 18s drinking alcohol or smoking or watching movies, lowering the age of consent would put huge pressure on the majority of early teens who are nowhere near ready, and I still don't see how it's going to reduce teen pregnancies maybe you could explain that one to me? Okay so Germany has a lower rate but I don't know what goes on in Germany with regard to sex education or the sexualisation of children which is an issue here in the UK

I think the issue though is what we would ideally like teens to be doing and what they actually are doing... and younger teens do have sex. It's not a new or modern thing either, it has always happened... kids physically mature at different rates and some become sexually active younger. You can't just pretend it doesn't happen because it would be better if it didn't, and you also can't stop it from happening. It's not about family or background either. The "youngest couple" I knew at school who were having regular sex were 13, and they were both from very "middle class families". They had a very intense relationship for 13, but to be fair, they were still together when they were 20 :shrug:. I also had a mate known as "The Jehova Casanova" which is fairly self explanatory. He was bloody unstoppable :joker:. So yeah... I think we have to be realistic and say that it does happen. Try to make it happen less with education - but remove the criminal element when it's teens with other teens. I mean, no, I wouldn't want my daughter to be having sex at 14, but if she DOES, consensually... lets say with a 16 year old boy... I certainly wouldn't want the boy being charged with statutory rape or ending up with a criminal record / on a watch list :umm2:.

What if she "consensually" has sex with a 40 year old bloke?

Well that's why as above I said it should be decriminalised for "teens having sex with other teens";

You cant deny it works in germany and every other western european country in reducing teen pregnancies the stats say it all. It can't be a coincidence. Nor can it be denied that britain is ****ed due to the parenting of kids when you look at the teenage pregnancies in other countries that are not western eoropean but have the same age of consent as germany etc.Only britain comes close to matching them and our age of consent varies from 7 to 1 year difference. In all cases the higher.

No... our daughter looked like a 12 year old when she was 14. The sort of people she would of attracted at 14 were certainly the wrong sort of blokes. Even now I find it difficult when some older men can't stop looking at her. She's 18 but she looks like she's about 15, especially without make-up on.

I agree Redway.

Fair, I just dont think making stringent rules about what age each age can have sex with is a more effective method than right now, and I'd sooner want to see the age of consent heightened than anything else.

Im sure a few young lads in her class found her attractive though. So why should a parents paranoia efgect the chances of a meaningful relationship.

Chances are she wouldn't find them attractive at 14. Some meaningful relationship they were likely to have at 14 anyway. Besides if he liked her enough he would wait. 14 year olds don't need to be having sex.

World's gone mad.

Personally I wouldn't have thought about having sex at 14, although I know some people who did lose their virginity around that age. But the argument of 'if people are going to do it anyway then it should be legalised' isn't one I agree with, I mean we don't apply that logic to other crimes. And as it is now it protects the children who aren't ready. If some kids do want to have sex, and are having sex regardless of the law anyway, then why change the law to fit with what they're doing? Why let those children dictate what the minimum age should be over the children who aren't having sex? Doesn't seem necessary at all to me and I don't see what benefit there would be?? There would however be huge social pressure put on them from other kids at school to start having sex and to put 14 year olds (and especially ones who aren't physically/emotionally mature) in a situation where they're going to have face that I actually think is quite cruel.
Keep the legal age as it is and just focus on sex education so that if some under 16's do decide to have sex, at least they can be educated and protected, without all of them being encouraged/pressured.

Really good post Jamie.

Just about covers all angles to this question,very thought provoking.

I don't think it should be lowered 14 is far too young to be having sex, babies having babies but 14 year old girls these days look and act 20