The questions start when the differences in age and maturity levels aren’t that great.Yes. And wherever one draws the line, when someone just over the line gets caught, questions will re-surface. I think most youth 16 and over can grasp the concept of an age of consent and the need to respect it. My 16 year old peers certainly did in 1971, referring to underage girls as 'jail bait.' No matter where one draws the line, if parents do not consistently teach their children to respect authority, laws, and the rights of other people, those who reach majority will not respect laws or others.
“Yes. And wherever one draws the line, when someone just over the line gets caught, questions will re-surface.”
There might actually be some wisdom in the choices teens have made most often over the years. Just my observation, it seemed that a guy two years older than a girl was the most common age difference. Same age and one year difference next, and three year difference less common, and four year difference getting into “robbing the cradle” territory for kids still in high school. The four and greater year difference seldom happened until the younger party was out of high school. - Things might be different some places.
And, some cases where the girl was older, but when a boy is beyond three years or grades older, that starts seeming too much while still in high school. Sixteen seems right for age of consent, but I don’t think many sixteen year-olds considered fifteen, or even fourteen year-olds jail bait. I think the kids were/are more cognizant of the age difference than the age of consent.