A few days ago, I was scrolling through my phone at home and saw a news article saying that some places had changed their laws. It mentioned the “legal age of consent”—the age at which a person can legally decide to have intimate relations with another person.
It sounded pretty serious, but I realized I didn’t really know much about it. For example, in Missouri, how old do you have to be to make that decision? Is it the same in neighboring states?
At first, I just thought about it casually, but then I realized that guessing wasn’t enough. If I misunderstood, I could mislead others and even cause trouble. So I decided to look up the official information and find out what was going on.
How did I look up the Missouri regulations?
I knew that the official legal text should be available on the government website, so I went to the Missouri Legislature’s official website. To be honest, the website was really difficult to use. I clicked around, navigating through layers of menus, like I was in a maze. It took me almost 20 minutes to find the section related to criminal law, which was numbered “Chapter 566.”
Finally, I found it! It said, “If a person engages in sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 14, it is a felony.” The meaning was clear: absolutely not under the age of 14.
What about those over 14? I looked further down. Another section said that if the other person is 14 or 15 and you are over 21, it is also illegal.But if the age difference is not that big, like if you are 19 and the other person is 15, it may not be considered a felony.
So, overall, in Missouri, a 17-year-old can legally consent. In other words, from a legal perspective, 17 is considered “old enough.”
I checked a few neighboring states
Since I was already looking it up, I wanted to see what the situation was in a few neighboring states. Would it be similar? Or would there be significant differences? I looked at each state’s government website and tried to find the original legal text rather than relying on secondhand accounts or lawyer websites full of advertisements.
Kansas: 16 is the age of consent
I was a little surprised by Kansas. They clearly state that 16 is the age of consent.That’s a year earlier than Missouri. It seems like they think 16 is old enough to make their own decisions.
Illinois: Same as Missouri
Illinois’ rules are very similar to Missouri’s. The age of consent is also 17. However, there is a special case: if you are a teacher, coach, or someone in a position of authority, you cannot have a relationship with someone who is 17, even if they consent. This is to prevent people from taking advantage of their position.
Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kentucky: 16
I checked these states and found that they all have the same rule: 16 is the age of consent. This means that these states recognize the ability of young people to make this decision earlier than Missouri.
Tennessee: 18
The last state that surprised me was Tennessee.They stipulate that no one under the age of 18 can legally consent. There are no exceptions. This is much stricter than other states. It is equivalent to waiting until high school graduation or even college to be considered “eligible.”
Putting this information together
I organized the results I found and discovered an interesting phenomenon:
- Some states think 16 is old enough (e.g., Kansas and Arkansas);
- Some states set the age at 17 (Missouri and Illinois);
- And one state has set the age at 18 (Tennessee).
This means that if you drive from Missouri to Kansas, the age requirement suddenly drops by one year; if you drive south to Tennessee, it increases by one year. The same action can have completely different results in different states.
What does this mean? It means that each state has its own ideas and does not completely follow its neighbors. Some places are more conservative, while others are more lenient. There is no uniform standard.
My own experience
To be honest, researching these laws is really tiring. The websites are complicated, full of technical terms, and sometimes you have to read a sentence several times to understand it. But I persevered because I knew that only by reading the original documents could I find out the truth.
Many people write articles online saying, “In such-and-such state, the age is X,” but sometimes they get it wrong or don’t explain the conditions clearly. For example, they might just say “16,” without mentioning age difference restrictions, which can easily lead to misunderstandings.
After doing my own research, I feel much more confident. Although the process is tedious, at least I know that what I’m seeing is the real deal, not secondhand information that has been processed by someone else.
Summary of what I learned
- In Missouri, you can legally consent at 17.
- Most surrounding states are 16, but there are some exceptions.
- Tennessee is the strictest, requiring you to be 18.
- Each state has its own rules, so you can’t assume they’re all the same.
- Researching the law is tedious, but it’s worth it. Reading the official documents yourself is the most reliable way to find out.
This experience also taught me that many things in life seem simple on the surface but are actually quite complicated. Rather than listening to others, it’s better to take the time to figure things out for yourself. Even if it takes longer, it’s better than being misled by incorrect information.
Now that I know the answer, I’ve shared it with you. I hope it’s helpful to you too.