How to explain to someone why a relationship between an adult and a minor is unhealthy, immoral, and dangerous?

Yes I know. I worry and cry inside whenever I see anyone of any age to be vulnerable or hurt. I’m not inhuman. I just experience an emotion that most humans (including me) detest. I can’t change what emotions I experience.

Tbh the idea of romantic or sexual intimacy with anyone younger than 23/24 makes me uncomfortable at my age. And as I get older my lower limit is going to keep aging with me.

I just don’t understand the risks and morality well enough to explain it, beyond the scope of saying “it’s wrong and dangerous and probably abusive” and trust me that’s not good enough. When I was in my early twenties I was okay with the idea of being “with” someone 15-19. (Didn’t actively seek it tho not that that means anything) But at one point I processed the actual maturity level of someone 17 yo and realized how intrinsically vulnerable such relationships left people at that age gap and cringed. And ever since that disgust at the idea of age-inappropriate relationships has existed for me. But how exactly could we explain it?

And tbh I don’t know if there’s anything else other people are aware of that I’m not. I know that anyone who can’t control their impulses should not be involved with minors. And I know that youth are vulnerable and to be frank I see early twenties who sometimes have that innocent naïveté, and I’ve met people much older than me who were recently recovering from abusive relationships they hadn’t understood to be abusive and didn’t know how to leave. Impressionability and naive compliance are both something that is predictable in minors, but can still exist in adults as well. And the last thing I know is, that someone who seeks out someone vulnerable is very likely a predator, and if not, someone insensitive to the risk of hurting others.

But beyond that is there anything else? And I’m sure my presentation is trash as well....

/r/Advice Thread Parent