The “legal dating age”  is the age at which a person is legally competent to consent to sexual acts. A minor (someone under the age of consent) cannot legally confirm that a sexual act in which they participated was consensual.
In other words, kids are not yet legally old enough to consent to sex. As a result, if an adult engages in sexual intercourse/ sexual relations with a minor, the action may be termed statutory rape.
What is the Legal Dating Age
In some countries, even if all parties are underage, a sexual act can be termed statutory rape. The legal age of dating/ consent varies greatly around the world. Before engaging in sexual activity or dating, most countries require young people to be at least 14 years old.
There are, however, exceptions. Angola and the Philippines set the consent age at 12, the lowest in the world. Several other nations, notably Niger and Japan, have set the age of consent at 13—though Japan’s consent regulations are famously variable, ranging from 13 to 20, depending on where one is in the country. Furthermore, in several Asian and African countries, persons must be married before they can legally have sex.
These countries include Libya, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia, which are extremely conservative on gender and sexuality issues. Many countries, states, and territories contain “close-in-age” exclusions, sometimes known as “Romeo and Juliet” clauses. When all participants in a sex act are underage, these regulations can eliminate legal accountability (for example, two 16-year-olds).
In locations with no close-in-age exemptions, a person under the age of consent may be held accountable for engaging in sexual behavior with another minor person. For example, if a country does not have a Romeo and Juliet clause and has a consenting age of 16, two 15-year-olds who willingly have intercourse with each other could be charged with statutory rape.
The age of consent in the United States is determined by each state and ranges from 16 to 18. Finally, keep in mind that the age of consent/dating, intended to prevent kids from being sexually exploited, is not the same as minimum marriage age laws, which are intended to discourage child weddings. We’ll now look at the legal age of dating in various countries.
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Legal Dating Age in the United States
The age of consent/dating ranges from 16 to 18 years old in the United States, depending on the country. Any sexual activity with a partner under the age of consent is considered statutory rape in that country. Sexual conduct involving all minors can be considered statutory rape in some jurisdictions.
Thirty-one states set the consent age at 16, eight at 17, and eleven at 18. Twenty-six states have “Romeo and Juliet” laws, also known as near-in-age legislation, which make sexual intercourse between teenage people acceptable if they are close in age. The maximum age difference under these regulations differs from state to state. For example, the age of dating/ consent in Colorado is 17 years old.
However, individuals under the age of 15 may consent to a partner less than four years older, and those between the ages of 15 and 16 may consent to a partner up to ten (10) years older. In Arizona, the age of consent is set at 18. However, minors aged 15-17 can consent to sex with partners no more than 24 months older.
Legal Dating Age in the United Kingdom
The age of consent in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) is 16 years old. Furthermore, each of the United Kingdom’s territories has its local age of consent regulations.
However, at the moment, these regions have placed the consent age at 16. The United Kingdom does not have close-in-age exemptions. Two people under the age of consent can be prosecuted for indulging in sexual activity.
Legal Dating Age Philippines
The age of consent in the Philippines is 16 as of May 2022. Sexual activity with a minor under the age of 16 is deemed statutory rape and will be punished accordingly. For acts involving coercion, prostitution, force, threat, or intimidation, the consent age is raised to 18.
Individuals under 18 cannot obtain protections such as contraception or HIV/AIDS testing without parental authorization.
Legal Dating Age in China
In mainland China, the legal age of consent is 14 years old. Macau and Hong Kong, China’s two special administrative territories, each have their own local age of consent legislation.
Macau, like China, has a consenting age of 14 years. In Hong Kong, the legal age of consent is 16 years old.
Legal Dating Age in Mexico
In Mexico, the legal age of consent is 17 years old. However, Mexico’s 20 territories have its age of consent regulations, with minimum consent ranging from 14 in Tlaxcala to 18 in numerous areas.
There is no close-in-age consent exemption in Mexico. This means that two people under 17 who engage in sexual activity willingly face prosecution for statutory rape. This also holds true if one partner is 16 and the other is 17.
Legal Consent Age in Canada
The age of consent in Canada increased from 14 to 16 years old with the Tackling Violent Crimes Act in 2008. This was the first time the voting age had been raised since 1892. The ban extends to all sexual activity and was designed to dissuade cyber predators.
The statute allows for a “close-in-age” exception. As a result, 14- and 15-year-olds can legally consent to someone less than five years their senior, while 12- and 13-year-olds can consent to a partner less than two years their senior. For the consent to be genuine, there must be no authority or dependent relationship and no exploitation of the younger person.
Legal Consent Age in Russia
The legal age of dating in Russia is 16 years old. However, Russia’s consent age has altered multiple times, as it has in many other countries. The Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic’s (RSFSR) Criminal Code declared that consent occurred when “sexual maturity” was reached.
When Russia’s Criminal Code was formed in 1996, it was set at 16, then reduced to 14 in 1998, and then raised to 16 again in 2003. In Russia, there is no such thing as a close-in-age law. However, articles 134 and 135 of the Criminal Code, which define statutory rape, say that the offender must be 18 or older to be legally accountable, establishing roughly the same protections as a close-in-age provision.
Legal Dating Age India
The age of consent in India is 18 years old, according to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013. Individuals aged 17 and younger are not legally permitted to consent to sexual activities, which may result in statutory rape charges. The age of consent was 10 in 1892, but it has gradually grown to 18.
Legal Dating Age Australia
The legal dating age in Australia is 16 years old in practically all of its territories, including the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. However, Tasmania and South Australia, two Australian territories, have raised the consent age to 17.
In many other countries, the age of consent is raised to 18 if the older person is in a position of care or responsibility over the underage participant (teacher, legal guardian, clergy, etc.). Some jurisdictions have close-in-age exemptions, which vary by area.
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Legal Dating Age in Europe, Asia, Africa, and other continents
The age of consent in most African countries is either 16 or 18 years, but the lowest is open-ended due to marriage laws. A child can consent to sex in Botswana, Senegal, and Namibia at the age of 16.
The age of consent in Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda is 18 years. The age of consent in Nigeria is uncertain due to seemingly contradicting legislation; however, it might conceivably mean that a child less than 11 years old, if married, can legally have intercourse.
This would be the lowest age of consent not only in Africa but also across the globe. Also followed by Angola, where the consenting age is 12 years. Some African countries compel people to marry before they can legally have sex. Libya and Sudan are countries with conservative views on sexuality and gender.