19 year old dating 16 year old california

Under federal law, it is statutory rape to engage in a sexual act with another person who is between the age of 12 and 16 if they are at least four years younger than you. In many states, the age of consent is 16. Some states set an age at which a person is legally able to give consent to engage in sexual intercourse.

States treat the age of consent differently. Jurisdictions Differ Regarding the Age of Consent That’s when charges for statutory rape can become a reality for one or both partners.

The problem, however, is that one person is not able to give consent – simply because they’re too young to legally give consent to the act. Statutory rape usually occurs between two people who want to have sex with each other.