Your friend tells you they're a paedophile

[robvalue]

I agree. Using it in legal terms is just stupid. It's a psychological condition. Being attracted to your average 14 year old doesn't make you a paedophile, because they will generally be post-pubescent. In some countries the age of consent is lower, last I heard it was 12 in Holland.

We protect those under the age of 16/18 because of consent issues rather than anything else. They either won't understand what's happening, or if they do, they're likely to later regret it because they're not emotionally mature enough to make such a decision. They are also easier to manipulate by an unscrupulous adult.

So if someone is having a conversation, they need to be clear what the words mean. Just like a religious discussion. Definitions are important. Finding out you mean different things halfway through just wastes time.

What is the "correct" age of consent? There isn't one. Morality isn't a science. Personally, I think 16 is too young these days. 18 is more like it. People grow up slower now, in England at least. The age is more to protect people under that age from people over if; rather than to stop two people under that age doing things.

Side note: in England, I can have sex at 16 but I can't watch a video of someone having sex until I'm 18. Maybe we should change the law so that I can't watch a video of someone driving a car until I'm 19.