In California, you can certainly start dating as a teenager. If you do, then you should get your parents to approve. You might get away with dating someone without your parents knowing, but it’s better if you can get them to meet your romantic interest and give the situation a thumbs up.
You should also understand California’s age of consent and the laws surrounding it if you start to date at this age. We will talk about that a little bit right now.
What Does the Term Consent Age Mean?
The consent age means when someone can agree to have sexual contact with another person and for it to have legal status under the law. For instance, if you have a California teen who is thirteen and you have another person in the state who is twenty, it is not legal for them to have any sexual contact.
These laws are in place to protect young people. If you’re thirteen or fourteen, you might feel like you’re old enough to give consent to someone who’s eighteen or older. However, the law feels that’s not the case. The idea holds that anyone that young does not have the emotional maturity to give consent to have a sexual relationship, something reserved for older adults.
What About Teens Dating Other Teens?
Many states deem it okay for teens to date each other and have sexual contact. That’s potentially risky behavior if these teens don’t use protection, but the law can’t do anything about that if they’re the same age.
For instance, a fifteen-year-old dating another fifteen-year-old and having a sexual relationship with them would not cause any legal action to kick in. The two could stay together without the authorities involving themselves.
What About Teens Dating in California?
Looking at California in particular, we see that same-age teens can date each other and have sexual contact. Again, it’s not illegal in any way. However, some exceptions remain.
Let’s say that an eighteen-year-old boy dates a seventeen-year-old girl. They get together because they like each other. The law has nothing to say about it if they spend time together.
However, if they start having a sexual relationship, that’s illegal. There’s no guarantee the law will go after them, but it can. If the police find out the ages of the involved teens, they can step in and arrest the eighteen-year-old boy for statutory rape.
What Happens at That Point?
The court system may regard this particular situation a little differently than if you have an eighteen-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old girl. Seventeen and eighteen are not far away from each other, and their emotional maturity is likely similar.
Still, if you’re eighteen and have sex with someone who’s seventeen in California, that remains illegal, and you’re taking a risk. It’s better to stay platonic until you’re both eighteen or older. At that point, you can legally have sex with no issues.
Say you’re an eighteen-year-old boy, or girl, for that matter. If you have sex with a minor under California law, the legal system can charge you with a felony or misdemeanor, depending on how egregious it considers your conduct. You might face a fine, jail time, or probation.
Can You Fight These Charges?
You have the option to fight the charges. You can do so if you married the teen you’re dating. You can legally marry when you’re both younger than eighteen.
You might also fight the charges if you feel you didn’t have sex with the minor in question. Maybe you kissed them, but you didn’t have intercourse. The prosecution must prove sex occurred. If they can’t, they will likely lose their case.
You can also claim you didn’t know the teen’s real age when you had sex. Maybe they showed you a fake ID or claimed they could legally have sex with you. That defense will not always work, but it’s a point in your favor if the situation winds up with you in court before a judge.
It’s Better to Wait
Unless you’re dating a teen in California and you’re the same age, it’s best to wait to have sex till you both turn eighteen. At that point, the law can do nothing about it. You’re both legally adults and can do as you like.
Having sex before then has rules you must follow, and you must endeavor to do so. If you break the law, that can negatively impact your life.
