What is the legal age of consent in Australian jurisdictions? The legal age for consensual sex varies between 16 and 17 years across Australian state and territory jurisdictions (see Table 2).
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.
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.
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.
About legal age in Australia
As your child grows up and becomes more independent, you might be wondering how old they need to be before they can do certain things. In Australia, you're considered to be an adult when you turn 18 years old.
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. But if the person was 18, it is a crime unless the person believed the person was 16 or older. For more information about what is considered a sexual act, see Sexual assault.
Although the legal age of consent throughout Australia is either 16 or 17 years of age, legislation in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia makes it an offence for a person in a supervisory role to have sexual interactions with a ...
In short, research seems to indicate that in many cultures, an age gap of 1 to 3 years is considered ideal — but some researchers suggest even a relationship with an age gap of less than 10 years will bring more satisfaction.
"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.
A 20-year-old should not be in a relationship with a 17-year-old. While a three-year gap isn't, in itself, absolutely good or bad, even small age differences can be significant for younger people. They may be at different stages of emotional maturity.
Section 3(1) of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1997 (Tas.) defines a child as a person under 18 years of age. (ii) the injured, abused or neglected person's physical or psychological development is in jeopardy'.
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.
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.
This strict age limit is in place to help protect you from harm. It's unlawful to engage in any sexual activities if you're under 16. If you're 16 or over, you can have any sort of consensual sex without breaking the law—if you and your sexual partner both are capable of consenting, and both of you are over 16.
Once you turn 16, you won't normally be forced to return home by the authorities as long as you've got a safe place to go and you can financially support yourself. If you're under 18 and leave home, the police and Child Safety may investigate the reasons why you left home.
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.
A larger age gap can also impact relationships with friends and family who may disapprove of the relationship, as well as alienate the couple because they won't have much in common with their partner's older or younger friendship group.
In the land of optimal slide text, a more minimal guideline is the 6×6 rule. The recommendation for the 6×6 rule is a maximum of six bullet points per slide with a maximum of six words per bullet. There is a school of thought that there should only be one word per bullet or 6 words per slide total.
Age Gaps in Relationships: Find Common Ground
The truth is, there is no ideal or appropriate age gap in a relationship. Whether it's a 20 year age gap relationship or a 5 year age gap relationship, there will be both challenges and benefits to your situation.
Gerontophilia is the primary sexual attraction to the elderly. A person with such a sexual preference is a gerontophile or gerontosexual. The word gerontophilia was coined in 1901 by psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing. It derives from Greek: geron, meaning "old person" and philia, meaning "friendship".
Some pediatricians suggest that kids wait until they're 16 to start this kind of one-on-one dating. That's a good place to start the discussion, but every kid is different. Some are more emotionally mature than others. Some teens come from communities and families where one-on-one dating starts earlier or later.
Originally Answered: Is it appropriate for a 23 year old to date an 18 year old? You are both adults. As long as each of you respects the other person there is no reason you cannot become involved in a dating relationship. The age difference that might make you a little uncomfortable now will lessen over time.
Romeo and Juliet laws prevent behavior between people who are close in age from being considered statutory rape when one of the two members of the couple is under the age of consent.
Romeo and Juliette laws
In most Australian states, provisions exist whereby it is a defence to a child sex offence if the participants were teenagers of a similar age in a consensual relationship.