Is dating a 17 year old illegal when your 19?
Emma Newman
Updated on May 19, 2026
People also ask, is it weird for a 19 to date 17?
Is it weird or wrong for a 19 year old to date a 17 year old? No. That's an appropriate age difference, since you're at about the same stage of development. the age of consent is 18, but there are exceptions if the older person is less than 4 or 5 years older, which is also a lot of places.
Similarly, is it bad for a 19 year old to date a 16? A 19 year old boy can date a 16 year old girl, but he cannot have any sexual contact with her or he runs the risk of being charged with sexual assault of a minor.
Keeping this in consideration, can an 18 year old go to jail for dating a 17 year old?
Probably not. Even in states where the legal age of consent is 18, most of the make allowances for situations like yours in which there is only a slight age difference (sometimes called “Romeo and Juliet” laws).
Is it illegal for a 17 and 20 year old to date?
There is nothing illegal about a 20 year old dating a 17 year old. However, the 17 year old's parents could stop her from dating.