Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice
Change the age of consent to 18
Closed
40 signatures
What the petition asks
The age of consent should be changed to 18 rather than 16, as a 16 year old is still considered a child in many respects.
The law of consent says that a person who is 16 or older may have sexual intercourse with anyone who is also 16 or older, but I don’t believe they are mature enough to decide this.
A person aged 16 cannot legally send an explicit image of themselves as such images would be considered 'child porn' . With this logic, a 16 year old is considered a child, but is legally able to have sexual intercourse with someone over the age of 18 (an adult) . These laws contradict one another. If a 16 year old is a child according to another law, then how is it protecting anyone?
A person aged 16 cannot legally send an explicit image of themselves as such images would be considered 'child porn' . With this logic, a 16 year old is considered a child, but is legally able to have sexual intercourse with someone over the age of 18 (an adult) . These laws contradict one another. If a 16 year old is a child according to another law, then how is it protecting anyone?
Timeline
| 22 Jun 2022 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 5 Jan 2023 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
40
Status
Closed
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
22 Jun 2022
Closed
5 Jan 2023
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.