[user104658]

I find it a difficult question to answer to be honest, because the premise seems to rest on an idea that there are no power hierarchies to navigate once school is finished which is, of course, simply not the case. The age of consent - surely - is the age at which we say that people should be able to understand and navigate these relationships and not allow themselves to be exploited. That is the entire point of the age of consent. Is a 16 year old any more likely to be exploited by a teacher than an 18 year old school leaver is likely to be exploited by an employer? Is a 16 year old any more likely to trade "sex for grades" than an 18 year old school leaver is likely to trade sex for a promotion? etc... and if the difference is that it's 16-vs-18, then surely what we are saying is that 16 is NOT a suitable age of consent?

Hmm. Again, though, I think fairly easily solved by a staggered consent age. If 16-18's are not allowed to have sex with anyone over the age of say 21... then teachers are automatically taken out of the legality equation entirely. On an instinctual level, I do think it's fine for teenagers to be experimenting sexually with each other but engaging in a sexual relationship with an adult (not just a teacher - ANY adult) doesn't seem quite right. I'd question the motivations of any adult who is sexually pursues a 16/17 year old. They may sometimes be physically mature, even attractive, but any right-minded adult surely knows that beneath the superficial they are essentially still dealing with a child?

As a final side note... the idea that an adult student shouldn't be able to have a relationship with an adult teacher is plainly ridiculous. Again it is absolutely no different to an employer/employee situation. Colleges and Universities should simply have information about reporting harassment / exploitation available (as any workplace does) and leave people to form relationships with who they want.