does age matter?

Going off what was said in some other post somewhere in here. No one is immune to flattery at any age. To assume otherwise is to be vulnerable to what could be empty words. Actions and intentions mean more. There is no shortage of people in their 30s think they were dumb in their 20s and in their 40s say the same about their 30s or in their 70s about their 40s. This path isn't the same linear path for everyone it has twists and turns taking people different places at different times and some assume it must be their age not their experiences that are guiding and shaping their outlook. People as they get older have a tendency to push their perceived boundaries of when they think stages of life occur more and more in attempt to not feel like it was so long ago trying to cope with how they are getting older. Anyone can think they are wiser than themselves in past before whether true or not since even if they get more foolish they think it because of a bias of always thinking they are right and not wanting to consider being wrong. Anyone at any age can overestimate or underestimate themselves. Sad truth is no one knows what they are doing at any age and will likely die never knowing. All anyone can do is try their best with what they got and be mindful of their own actions and biases.

@PeripheralVision
They are two unrelated things though. Look at for example the age someone can apply for a drivers license. What about how in something like 30 states in the US kids (and i literally mean like 8 year olds) can own and operate rifles and shotguns even if their body isnt strong or heavy enough to handle the recoil which is an extremely dangerous situation. What about how in the US you can go war 18 but arent old enough to drink at 21. Age based laws arent made to be logical and more serve political shenanigans to have something to endlessly shift goalposts on to avoid actual changes to society and governance.

Edit:oops you had written something to someone else so it is less clear i was replying to your reply to me.

I wanted to focus on broader topics than just this fixation on age of consent. Most people dont even understand laws and wrongly assume why they were created. The age of consent was not created for that which is why it has so many flaws and is so ineffective. Generally speaking and simplified in the West and and Mid East it was no sex outside marriage because girls were treated as property of their father's to be sold off. Then this shifted to an age out system after individualism became more the norm and people just got tired of this marriage only system but this still kept offspring as property of their parents. It was a failed attempt at ending sex under X age as means of control of youth. Though in US I recall reading it was raised to where it is in a failed attempt to end teenage pregnancy instead of having sex education and birth control methods though i have trouble finding that source again to verify more. You dont really hear about it because it damages the narrative but even minors can be charged with a crime for having sex with other minors even of same age. They get charged for it going to juvenile court. You see further proof it isn't about objective ability when something as inconsistent as "parental consent" exists. You see this all over in different laws that minors are not considered full people and more property like how in some places kids even teenagers cant even have right to refuse forensic examination so they are legally sexually assaulted in the name of justice against those who defile the "property" with sexual acts even if consensual because "who cares about their thoughts and feelings, they dont know what is good for them. I"m protecting them" kind of mindset. This is further done by calling them a "child" a category that places them in the same group as infants and fetuses. Earlier in the thread you cited potentially dangerous neurological misinformation that has been spreading to help support this kind of oppression of young people from having rights and i guarantee it will be used to justify to raise voting age. Actual predators of every kind dont care about something irrelevant like age they care about opportunity and vulnerability and these things can exist in any and all ages in some form or another at some point and can be exploited by any age. This could be in many forms like physical disability or mental illness of any kind including depression but it isnt even limited to just that it can be loss of a loved one and financial troubles. Should they all have their bodily autonomy and right to a relationship taken away to "protect" them from "predators" because "who would ever love them" and "they dont know what is good for them. I'm protecting them"? No one would have rights in the end. Ive mentioned before earlier in the thread forcing people to secrecy about their relationships fosters abuse regardless of any ages involved. No one is arguing for no protections. Sexual assault laws already exist and need improved on expanded into defining what is informed consent, as does the general societal structures could be improved to better foster healthy relationships and have a generally better environment for everyone. That is the ideal at least. Otherwise you at very least need age systems that takes into context individual relationships not just age in order to avoid the many harms of broad stroke laws and a few countries try to do this but it can always be improved.

Edit:
@PeripheralVision
I dont really like how you responded nor the kind of conflict seeking people the thread is attracting and I never wanted to go on about age of consent to begin with, Doesnt motivate me to respond to everything so im making this quick and not bumping the thread for it.

You seem to have conflated verbal consent (which usually no one means but that was your focus it seems), legal right to consent, right to refuse and informed consent. These are different things. Informed consent basically just means while not applying as coerced consent a sort consent made from being informed enough to make a rational decision. Problem is defining the line on what is informed enough. It seems difficult but not impossible and many count systems already look at individual cases for example how minors get emancipated a judge examines their ability to live away from their parents or get out of the foster care system earlier. However this is already technically defined in some laws as an age different by country so it is not irrelevant and impossible to have actual definitions that go beyond an age because unless they literally drew them from a hat there had to be some sort of rational even if it were poor ones it is something, it is why they dont charge someone having a relationship with a teenager same as someone preying on like a 5 year old and the crimes if broken fall into different categories.

I in that section was defending the rights of minors to not be sexually assaulted for the legal system. No I wasn't accusing you of anything personally, I'm pointing out the roots of where this all comes from and all the hypocrisy and lies involved. The US was what i was talking about some info i had come across before reading law in a different state for personal reasons involving someone i know awaiting sending someone to prison for rape although i am a little fuzzy if it was for sure forensic examination or court examination (where they basically get harassed and abused by lawyers and the judge). Reading legalese can get tedious so im not really in mood to track down every state's and every countries laws and their time of being added. And that was just one example, why that example is I was pointing out how there is another side to the legal system, the side of those who go through it and are abused by it even though the system is claiming they are victims. The backlog is for actual sexual assault cases is quite huge. They get held up for years and years which is bad for the victims having everything dragged out so long and bad for the accused if they are innocent and this gets held up even more from consensual sex cases. Maybe it would be better processing speed of rape kits and court dates if at least for a certain age range to handle consensual things where those involved can choose to take it in civil court if they feel wronged, in order to not further backlog time sensitive rape cases for priority of parents mad their offspring may have had sex and wanting to punish them and everyone else involved.

Horseshoe theory is an internet meme joke not a legitimate political theory by people that actually understand politics.

"Fuck you"
I wasn't really talking about you. It was random and a lot of what I said could apply to me.

Different people even if they were same age can have very different life experiences, social lives, or lack of those and different characteristics and qualities to them and different capabilities and difficulties Wouldn't you agree? Im sure there is times you have mistaken the age of people on MAL whether for older or younger.

People can be manipulated at any age. People of any age can manipulate. Anyone saying otherwise is the perfect target.

I'm not even saying anything controversial. I am supported by the latest findings over years that apparently researchers are increadibly slow to figure out common sense that age itself isnt what makes someone feel bad about their sexual experiences but the other factors around it are greater signifigance, even if someone is in their mid 20s or older they have a lot of the same experiences about first time having sex. There is multiple studies backing this up as straight fact. You have to learn to read between the lines on some studies though. Here is for a quick glance at some things researchers say.
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[2]

I already made my views clear I am against the large oversights of the current more common systems as is for all the harms it brings to those you claim it protects and I dont like to see people as mere stereotypes and averages, it's dehumanizing and a poor representation of people's individual experiences as they are. It is dangerous for someone to think themselves or someone else is safe or unsafe merely because of their age. Ive known too many people hurt from this. One even was almost murdered by a teen around her age she dated after she broke up with him for his frequent abuse..