Do you have to be 15 years old to have sex?

Question

I’ve heard that you have to be 15 years old to have sex. Is that true? Was it illegal for me to have sex before I was 15?

Answer

No, it wasn’t illegal. There’s no law to say that you have to be over 15 years old to have sex. But there is a law that bans a person over the age of 15 from having sex with a person under the age of 15.

This law is not meant to stop young people from having sex. The law is there to protect children and young people under the age of 15 from being sexually exploited by older people.

It is also illegal to have sex with someone who doesn’t want to have sex – no matter how old you are.