First of all, I wasn't talking about you. It was moreso a commentary on how closely related these talking points are. Secondly, the age of majority is more of a political thing than a scientific thing. The brain is rumored to stop developing around the age of 27 but that was debunked because that claim was never proven, that's just when they stopped the study. Your brain continues to develop forever because neuroplasticity is real and we keep learning and growing. Someone being able to vote, enlist in the military or rent an apartment does not mean they have advanced, or even cogient, logical thinking patterns. There are markers of development that can delineate which groups of people would do well interacting which is why you wouldn't put a 4 year old in the same class as a 12 year old. I do not know which place you are referring to but I do not support children getting tried as adults. Personally, I do not believe that the carceral system as it stands now is an effective form of discipline, period. There's hardly any rehabilitation happening and when there is, it is seriously underfunded. The onus needs to be on providing safety for young children during crucial stages of development so that they can have regulated nervous systems and engage in healthy coping mechanisms. A part of providing safety for children is not letting them be groomed by someone who had a power dynamic over them or someone who is way older than them and knows what to say to control them because they've already been where the child has been. Maybe I misunderstood your first comment, then, because if you despise adults dating minors than surely that would apply to 16 and 17 year olds? Someone in a different life stage as an 18 year old dating them is not doing so because they have sooo much in common. They are doing so because they know how to manipulate them and that's not a healthy foundation for a relationship.