How does that work on... age of maturity?

[naosu]

So I've read a few stories where they write in the story that the age of adulthood is 16 years old. Then in the story they might talk about the person dating or married. (With NO sex scenes to be clear.)

I've often wondered is that legal? Or could they bother the author over it? What do you think on this? Could you get in trouble writing a story with this way?

This type of scenario happens in like medieval stories. Or Isekai medieval a lot. So it made me want to ask.

 

[Sarandib]

I don't know about ScribbleHub rules.
In the U.S. one can put out whatever they want as long as it's writing.
Other countries do have laws for content in literature. An Australian woman was recently arrested for publishing a book featuring a sexual relationship between an underage girl and her father (step-father?).
That being said I doubt there is a single country in the world where someone would face legal trouble for simply having a relationship between sixteen-year-olds. The previously described Australian book was explicitly sexual.

 

[beast_regards]

The legality is questionable.

It depends on the country.

Even in the United States, each state has a different law on the matter, some more strict than other, and yes, I mean, legality in regards to fiction (!!!) not real world interaction (which are covered by different law, usually)

If you happen to live in the state with the more lax view than the other, it still doesn't matter outside the court (if the issue gets that far) because websites have their own content rules on the matter and those are usually much stricter than the law of the country they reside in, usually due to international nature of the Internet.

Thus, on the Internet, the legal age is always 21 (even applying to fictional species that don't live that long)

 

[Dec]

According to Content Guidelines, the Age of Consent is 18+

• Age of Consent - The age of consent is 18+. This is referring to the real age of the character. Any sexual content between characters must abide by this age of consent.

So yes, as long as you don't include explicit sex scenes, you are fine even if said marriage/dating is between children (8-12 yo), as it was normal in medieval times, especially in noble and royal families.

 

[Fairemont]

Age of adulthood is different than age of consent, though often overlapping.

If someone considers someone an adult at 16, then that is fine on its own. Include sexual content then it starts throwing red flags.

 

[Dec]

Or, you know, the "real age" (as required by Content Guidelines) is 116 years, while said person looks like 16. The magic of isekai and parallel worlds at its finest.

 

[Sarandib]

The legality is questionable.

It depends on the country.

Even in the United States, each state has a different law on the matter, some more strict than other, and yes, I mean, legality in regards to fiction (!!!) not real world interaction (which are covered by different law, usually)

If you happen to live in the state with the more lax view than the other, it still doesn't matter outside the court (if the issue gets that far) because websites have their own content rules on the matter and those are usually much stricter than the law of the country they reside in, usually due to international nature of the Internet.

Thus, on the Internet, the legal age is always 21 (even applying to fictional species that don't live that long)

Nobody in any U.S. state would be convicted for written words no matter how obscene. Any prosecutor that tried would be shut down immediately, we have a right to free speech.

 

[beast_regards]

Nobody in any U.S. state would be convicted for written words no matter how obscene. Any prosecutor that tried would be shut down immediately, we have a right to free speech.

Do you mean that your middle-aged porn actresses couldn't retroactively declare themselves twelve to force the Internet to delete their content?

 

[HisDivineShadow]

In many countries, the age of consent is 16, and as long as there isn’t a huge age gap between the partners, such relationships are generally legal and don’t cause much social outrage.
If it’s a royal marriage and there are no explicit scenes described, a plot like that is unlikely to stir controversy or lead to legal issues.
In fact, in old historical novels, marriages with significant age differences were quite common, and no one bans those books from being sold.
but if there are any doubts, then I would not include the topic of sex in such stories at all

 

[Snake99]

I have a similar question, is writing ecchi scenes with teenage characters prohibited on this site or do all characters have to be over 18 to be in ecchi scenes?

 

[Fairemont]

Nobody in any U.S. state would be convicted for written words no matter how obscene. Any prosecutor that tried would be shut down immediately, we have a right to free speech.

Riiiight...

 

[Dec]

I have a similar question, is writing ecchi scenes with teenage characters prohibited on this site or do all characters have to be over 18 to be in ecchi scenes?

Content Guidelines | Scribble Hub

www.scribblehub.com

 

[Rezcore]

I hate being the Well Achsually guy...

are fine even if said marriage/dating is between children (8-12 yo), as it was normal in medieval times, especially in noble and royal families

The average age of marriage in the Middle Ages varied depending on the social class and region. For the gentry and nobility, the average marriage age for women was around 20-22, with men being four or five years older, based on records from New England between 1650-1750.
However, among commoners, the average marriage age was generally lower, often in the late teens or early twenties.
The canonical age for marriage set by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches was 12 for girls and 14 for boys, but these were the ages of consent rather than the typical ages of marriage.
Note this is based on a few different sources such as: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/betrothal-marriage-age

The age of marriage :: Life and Times :: Internet Shakespeare Editions

internetshakespeare.uvic.ca

Marriage | Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament