If the sex is consensual (and it must be enthusiastic consent) and the other party is also aged 16 years or over it is not against the law, although there are some exceptions: If the person is very drunk or under the influence of drugs, they may not have the capacity to consent so having sex with them is an offence.
However, it is not an offence if the person honestly believed that you were 16 or if there was less than a two-year age difference between you. This is exactly two years. For example, if a person is 17 and has sex with someone who is 15, it is not a crime.
The legal age for consensual sex varies between 16 and 17 years across Australian state and territory jurisdictions (see Table 2). For other sexual activities, the criminal legislation relating to different types of sexual behaviours and interactions varies across Australian jurisdictions.
In New South Wales, the age of consent is fixed by law at 16 for both heterosexual and homosexual sex. It is important to understand that it is not a crime for children under 16 to have sex! The law criminalises people who have sex with under-16-year-olds.
You are now in control of your life. The law says you are an adult and you don't need your parents' permission to do anything. You can: be taken to the adult courts if you break the law.
New South Wales
' Additionally, the Young Offenders Act 1997 (Young Offenders Act) defines a child as being a person over 10 years and under the age of 18 years.
If you are 16 years old and above, you can legally have sex (or do another sexual activity) with another person who is 16 years or older as long as you both agree to it.
It is an offence in the Australian Capital Territory to have sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16. However, it is a defence if the younger party was aged 10 years or older and the offender was not more than 2 years older than the younger party.
In NSW, the age of consent is 16. If you are 16 years old and above, you can legally have sex (or do another sexual activity) with another person who is 16 years or older as long as you both agree to it.
What is the age of consent? In Western Australia, people under 16 years old cannot legally consent to having sex, even if they said 'yes' at the time. The age of consent is 18 years old if there is a special relationship between them, where one person is in a position of power or authority over the other person.
It is generally legal for a 16-year-old to date a 19-year-old. The relationship cannot be sexual. It's illegal to have sexual relations with a 16-year-old if you're 19. There are only 3 states where a 16-year-old can consent to sex with a 19-year-old (see below).
The highest state age of consent in the United States is 18. Federal law makes it criminal to engage in a sexual act with another person who is between the age of 12 and 16 if they are at least four years younger than you.
"Half-your-age-plus-seven" rule
An often-asserted rule of thumb to determine whether an age difference is socially acceptable holds that a person should never date someone whose age is less than half their own plus seven years.
Dating Age Rule. The dating age rule to determining a socially acceptable age difference in partners goes something like this: half your age plus seven (40 = 20 +7 = 27) to define the minimum age of a partner and your age minus seven times two (40 = 33 * 2 = 60) to define the maximum age of a partner.
16 and over. If you're 16 or older, you can have sex with another person who is 16 or over without breaking the law—if you both agree, and are both capable of consenting—unless you are related to them or under their care. This also applies to same-sex couples.
These are known as 'Romeo and Juliette laws' and exist in recognition of the fact that adolescent sexual development is natural and should not be criminalised. In South Australia, this defence is limited to the situation where both the 'victim' and the 'offender' are aged 16.
It is illegal to dress up as Batman and Robin in Australia. Dressing up as the dynamic duo is the same as dressing up as police officers', as the pair is integral to law enforcement.
The average duration of adolescent romantic relationships increases throughout the teen years. By age 16 youth report that relationships typically last for six months, and by 18 relationships often last a year or more, with black teens sustaining longer relationships than other racial or ethnic groups.
Teen love is definitely real, even though many adults are quick to dismiss it. You can totally make young love last if you build a healthy relationship and act maturely. We're here to help you listen to your heart if it says you've fallen hard for someone.
Love is in the air
No need to wait for the official first date to get a little face time, however. Americans agree kids are ready for their first kiss at age 15 (15.1 on average), while on average, they had theirs at age 14.5.
There's no law against it. You might run into some funny looks if the 30-year-old is in a position of trust relating to the 17-year-old, but it's not a problem in that regard.
Japan OKs bill to reform sexual offense charge and raise age of consent. The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill to recognize sexual violation even in the absence of physical violence or coercion, and raise the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16, as part of reforms to the country's Penal Code.
17 to 21 is roughly 81%, therefore it's not quite a big age gap though it's close to significant though not quite by this standard. A comparison is roughly equivalent to the difference between 21 and 26.