I'm asking is it OK for an 18 year old to date a 16 year old because I'll be 18 in a year, I'm a year in a half older than the girl I'm with, my birthday is in January and hers is in August.

Depends the state, but the age of consent in most places is 16. As long as the adult isn't too much older (2 ~ 4 years depending on the state) it's usually acceptable.

You should be ok, especially if her folks are ok with it.

~ Tee

You can date in any state.

Depending on your state, you could be in trouble if you are sexually active. In what state do you live?

There's no law against an age in dating, there is though, when it comes to physical contact or sex. It's okay to date the girl, but it would be best if you didn't touch her. Honestly, if something were to happen, even a kiss could get you in trouble.

As pointed out, there are no laws regulating dating. All legal issues refer to sexual activity. The age of consent in most US states is 16, though don't take that as encouragement to have sex with her. NO ONE should engage in sexual intercourse until they are ready to have a child.

But, as long as you are not intimate with her, you should be within the law.

As pointed out, there are no laws regulating dating. All legal issues refer to sexual activity. The age of consent in most US states is 16, though don't take that as encouragement to have sex with her. NO ONE should engage in sexual intercourse until they are ready to have a child.

But, as long as you are not intimate with her, you should be within the law.

Also, since I can't rate the rest your answer again, you should not try to press your sexual beliefs on various posters here. How you became an expert while being such a closed-minded individual is beyond me, but perhaps you will take a moment to stop and consider that other people's opinions might matter just as much as your own (not more, and certainly not less).

If used properly, contraceptives are literally 99.9% effective in preventing pregnancy, and condoms are just as effective at preventing the spread of STD's. Yes, there are exceptions, but there is no reason to highlight those exceptions as if they are some kind of majority. This outdated scare-tactic approach is the very reason teen pregnancy is such an issue nowadays. Children aren't taught how to properly use contraceptives because of some moral or religious taboo.

Anyway, to the OP, my apologies if you were seeking a different answer. I hope you will take all the information presented here, including Scott's, and use it accordingly.

~ Tee

Comments on this post Triysle (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/members/triysle.html) agrees: I won't reddie you, because that's not who I am. But just FYI, I gave that info with good intentions trying to help the OP. And in most cases, especially at that age, couples can become sexually active.


I'm sure you did have good intentions. The problem is that you didn't answer the question asked. The question was whether it was OK to date, not whether it was legal to have sex. You answered that it depends on the state, which is inaccurate since there are no laws regulating dating. And yes I'm aware that many children that age are sexually active.


Also, since I can't rate the rest your answer again, you should not try to press your sexual beliefs on various posters here. How you became an expert while being such a closed-minded individual is beyond me, but perhaps you will take a moment to stop and consider that other people's opinions might matter just as much as your own (not more, and certainly not less).

I do not "press" my beliefs on anyone. I simply express them. As to being close minded, you clearly don't have a clue about me. I became an expert here by having a track record of giving good and accurate advice.


If used properly, contraceptives are literally 99.9% effective in preventing pregnancy, and condoms are just as effective at preventing the spread of STD's. Yes, there are exceptions, but there is no reason to highlight those exceptions as if they are some kind of majority. This outdated scare-tactic approach is the very reason teen pregnancy is such an issue nowadays. Children aren't taught how to properly use contraceptives because of some moral or religious taboo.

Where are you getting your info? I know of no contraception method that claims that level of effectiveness. The most effective methods are more in the range of 96-97%, with some methods much lower.

And I totally agree that a large cause of teen pregnancy is the lack of education. I would and have advocated that anyone engaging in sexual intercourse make sure they are aware of the facts about contraception.

To sum up, you are way offbase here. To condone or advocate teenagers having sexual intercourse is irresponsible In my opinion. You did not answer the question asked, but assumed something that should not have been assumed. The three responses after yours were right on. They answered the question AND advised that sexual contact might be an issue. You compounded your original error, by launching a personal attack against me, rather then simply accept that you made a mistake. Had you given mean a negative comment you would have been in violation of the rules governing the use of the comments feature. My giving you a reddie was valid because you answered the question incorrectly. There was nothing incorrect or inaccurate about my answer.