Earthbound64
Banned
I didn't say anything about changing the OP.
So, they would only be asking that if they hadn't read the OP - a bannable offense.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Underage teen faces life as registered sex offender for having sex with underage gf
- Thread starter AuthenticM
- Start date
I didn't say anything about changing the OP.
So, they would only be asking that if they hadn't read the OP - a bannable offense.
OG Shaka Zulu
Member
A 14 and a 12 year old having sex is one of the dumbest things I heard all week. The 12 year old's parents suck, the 14 year olds can do better.
Both kids just need a stern talking. This criminality stuff is overkill, I'm guessing the 14 year old is Black.
Both kids just need a stern talking. This criminality stuff is overkill, I'm guessing the 14 year old is Black.
Sunster
Member
in that case, 2 pages of people asking the teen's age.
It hasn't been linked to drops in the age where kids lose their virginity on average though. Unless you are only referring to physical puberty, I don't think that there is data supporting the statement that kids are maturing faster.
And it doesn't take much to illustrate that puberty has little to do with the concept of maturity in our culture. Plenty of boys don't hit puberty until 14-15. Plently of girls hit it at 10-11. No one is going to support a 15 year old having sex with a 10-11 year old simply because they both happen to be pubescent at the same time.
This case is different, because the gap was 2 years. I can see why both sets of parents should be upset, but a lifetime on a sexual offenders list is way out of proportion for something that has always been somewhat commonplace with kids that age.
Parents who use the law to ruin the life of similar aged kids who have sex with their daughter are vindictive assholes. I don't know if that was the case here, but it typically is when charges are brought into the equation.
How is saying kids maturing quicker in the same frame as " this generation of kids is the worst yet" that doesn't even make sense. I am young myself and had to grow up fast. Social media is a big part of why kids are growing up quicker.
Sunster
Member
I was, that's why I said bodies.
You can't blame the parents, it happens. Parents can't be there 24/7.
Yep. It's kind of bizarre how "protect the children" laws have wrapped all the way around to actively harming kids at all levels, including criminal prosecution.
Any data on that? Because the only clear bit of data I've seen on changing physical maturity is that girls mature slower if they have a father figure in their life versus divorced family life, single parents, etc.
Earthbound64
Banned
Touché.
anonymous_abc
Member
.
Last edited:
My 25 year old sister still does this sometimes too.
Some kids mature quickly. Shouldn't punish them or other kids for something natural.
CyclopsRock
Member
That you can't simultaneously say:
a) "Expanding his age by a year just shows how fucked up that would be..."
b) "...stop calling her a teen. She's TWELVE."
Is arbitrarily changing their ages by a year OK or not? Because you can't have it both ways.
Sunster
Member
this whole thing was resolved on the last page but again, I never wanted anyone punished. I stated that in my very first post.
FantasticMrFoxdie
Mumber
Huh
Well that's one way to ruin a child's life
Well that's one way to ruin a child's life
Gai Murakumo
Member
The charge on the boy is just ridiculous. It was consensual and both sides have agreed so. He should not have the book thrown at him and be given a sex offender registry which will effect the rest of his life. If so shouldn't both parties be given the same treatment instead of just the boy? Sure they are both young, but teens will still find a way to have sex with or without sex education, though sex education helps a ton.
So I am curious what should happen when
gf anf bf are both 17 have been a sexually active item for a while and surprisingly don't have the same birthday, one turns 18 before the other.
Does that mean they should just not get down and dirty till the other partner catches up with 18?
If the 17 year olds parents are vindictive then the 18 year old should wait just to be safe. For normal people it doesn't matter.
Sunster
Member
I was 14 in 7th grade. Early birthday + held back 1 year.
Poor GRIMES
Banned
The internet makes access to adult material easier; however, children having access to material that is targeted towards adults has been a thing for many, many years. For example, my grandfather spoke to me about his first Playboy magazines and hiding them from his parents a few years back. Children are "maturing" at the same levels they've always had.
This does not mean that 12 and 14 year olds should have sex. I also take issue with a lot of posters thinking that 12 and 14 year olds can even consent to sex, considering that the lowest age for consent in the United States is 16 years.
Fenderputty
Banned
He's fucking 15 lol. What in the actual fuck ...
Lets pretend 18 is some magical year in which kids become adults who can reasonably choose to have sex. Why would we then assume anyone under that age has any idea what in the fuck they're doing. If we're going to assume that, why not make the age consent 15?
It doesn't matter what the lowest age of consent is. Kids will have sex when they feel they are ready. What does need to happen is far more sex education and far less demonizing it. Teaching children about safe sex and how to say no if they aren't ready is far better then saying shit like you shouldn't do it or it is wrong. You can't be putting a 14yr on the sex offenders list, for having sex with some one just 2 years younger.
MemoryHumanity
Member
What the fuck
Sunster
Member
One thing I just thought of that makes this worse. He's going to have a hell of a time explaining to people why he's on this list in his adult life. Literally all they will hear is that the girl was 12. Like, it's one thing to talk about this online where we have the full story in front of us. But in person, people will just hear "12".
Poor GRIMES
Banned
A comprehensive sex education is necessary; although, this isn't the topic for that discussion.
Comprehensive sex education is something that I'm in favor of, but I am not in favor of children having sex below the age of consent within their state.
And I also agree with his punitive charges being excessive. Not sure why we're conflating "kids shouldn't have sex at x age" with "I don't support a reasonable comprehensive sex education and they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law."
LordKasual
Banned
Do you remember what it was like to be 12 years old?
you do realize that these 2 kids go to the same school, right?
15 is around the outer edge of creepiness, but they're both still children
Warm Machine
Member
I was a September kid so I got in almost a year before everyone else. My best friend was a late December kid so he was a year older than me in the same grade because he had to wait a year as he was past the cut off.
If he failed a grade or held back he would have been 14 in grade 7.
Again you may not be a fan. But it is going to happen whether you are a fan or not. You don't put kids on the sex offenders list for stuff like this.
Days like these...
Have a Blessed Day
One is a child one is a teen.
Poor GRIMES
Banned
If you think that prepubescent children having sex with one another merely because they're a few years apart from one another is a justifiable act because of the hormonal processes they're currently undergoing, then that's your prerogative. I already agreed with you that neither should be charged with their mistake. Going forward, they should be given a proper speaking to from their parents.
Fenderputty
Banned
Because we're in a thread about the legality of an issue and it's effects on this child?
Why are you conflating the acceptance of reality with finding something "justifiable"? What does "justifiable" even mean here?
Poor GRIMES
Banned
So what does the legality of this have to do with schools having a comprehensive sex education?
Kids are literally hitting puberty earlier
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/oct/21/puberty-adolescence-childhood-onset
How in the world will they prove he did it?
Also, it states in TX that judges have the authority to decide if he'll be out on the sex offender list, so there's a chance that even if found guilty he won't be.
I'm torn. I don't think it's a good precedent to set that ignorance of the law is an excuse to break the law. That's a slippery slope. On the other hand, it seems way too severe to brand a 14 year old for life.
So do we follow the law on this or not? If not, I'd say we need an updated law, but what would that be? Don't we have to arbitrarily pick a number and say that's too young?
And then what if two 12 year olds with the same birthday have sex? Both branded for life? It's a tricky one.
Also, it states in TX that judges have the authority to decide if he'll be out on the sex offender list, so there's a chance that even if found guilty he won't be.
I'm torn. I don't think it's a good precedent to set that ignorance of the law is an excuse to break the law. That's a slippery slope. On the other hand, it seems way too severe to brand a 14 year old for life.
So do we follow the law on this or not? If not, I'd say we need an updated law, but what would that be? Don't we have to arbitrarily pick a number and say that's too young?
And then what if two 12 year olds with the same birthday have sex? Both branded for life? It's a tricky one.
Fenderputty
Banned
Wat? You asked why people might be conflating your position and I gave you a response. I am not conflating your position.
Poor GRIMES
Banned
So what does physical development have to with maturity? Are we speaking physical maturity or emotional maturity?
Justifiable in the sense that if I was a parent, then I would not be comfortable with my children having sex at that age. That's not a difficult position to grasp.
You responded to my saying that posters here are saying that those that don't personally support children having sex at x age are also in favor of them being punished by the law and not in favor of a sex education. Hence my confusion.
LordKasual
Banned
So if she was 13 years old, you would suddenly feel way different about this?
She could have been 13 at the time and still in the same grade.
Puberty definitely involves both a mental and physical maturity...
Poor GRIMES
Banned
The article that poster linked spoke about physical development.
Straight Edge
Member
Bullshit, a good parent knows their 12 year old's friends, their parent, and what they're up to.
Fenderputty
Banned
Accepting the reality isn't justifying anything. I will not want either of my kids having sex at that age. I will try my best to teach them. I will not be shocked if they do have sex at that age because ... kids start having sex at this age.
You pondered why this was conflated. I provided you a possibility. Nothing more. We're in a discussion about the legality of what these kids did and how this teen could be a sex offender at the age of 14. Your opinion of whether a child should be having sex at this age or not isn't relevant to that discussion. I figure people will confuse your opinion with the topic at large and put you into the abstinence camp
I assumed we're talking about sexual maturity which is tied to puberty
Poor GRIMES
Banned
The poster I originally quoted said that children are maturing faster because of social media. I inferred this to mean that they were speaking about emotional maturity more than the actual physical developments of children.
That's fair.
Fenderputty
Banned
I feel this is a fairly interesting topic. If we continue to socially mature at slower rates (graduate older, move out older, become self sustaining older) how to we square that with a population who's physically maturing faster?
14yo is still a child. Just because you go from not-teen to teen (12 => 13+) it doesn't mean you are magically grown up or mature.
Days like these...
Have a Blessed Day
Yes.
Westbahnhof
Banned
Do you think the label of "teen" is some kind of scientific cut-off date?
There are such extreme variances in maturity, 12 and 13 mean diddly tbh.
Unless you know the person, you really can't say.
LordKasual
Banned
at least you're honest
Days like these...
Have a Blessed Day
So I guess by your logic a 19 yr old and a 13 yr old are fine? They're both teens.
Westbahnhof
Banned
No. Please read again.
I'm saying the label "teen" is meaningless when judging maturity, so if the girl was 12 or 13 doesn't mean anything.
It depends on the girl, in this case.
To elaborate: A kid doesn't turn more emotionally mature when turning 13. A 20 year old is in no way more ready to face the world than the 19 year old was, a day earlier.
We mature gradually, and at an age like 12 or 13, it still varies so much, blanket statements are rather impossible.
Similar threads
- Locked