Hi there,
The law is there to protect people, rather than to punish them. As youve said, the law protects young people from being taken advantage of by adults. It's not there to punish young people thinking about sex.
In the United Kingdom you can legally have sex after the age of 16, which is called the age of consent. It is the same for heterosexual sex (between a male and female), or homosexual or gay sex (between two members of the same sex).
Although you can legally have sex at these ages, you should only have sex when you are ready. You should never feel pressured or forced into doing it, sex should be something that you enjoy and can have safely.
You've asked about two 14 year olds consenting to have sex. This is illegal because they are both underage. And having sex comes with a lot of responsibilities such as getting contraception advice on how to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
If a 14 year old has had sex they can usually get confidential information from Brook.
There are also lots of emotions around sex and even if you feel physically old enough to have sex, it may be that you are not emotionally ready. And thats okay, its usually better to wait until you are, so you can enjoy it.
Its also important to remember that consent isnt just about age. A person needs to be able to make reasonable decisions to be able to consent to sex. This means it they are drunk or high on drugs, they may not be able to consent to sex. And its always okay for people to change their minds after theyve already said yes.
You could always talk to one of our counsellors or find out what other young people think on our message boards if you wanted to.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
