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You've given me quite a bit to think about. My position was entirely based on the development of portions of the brain related to decision-making that tend to develop in young adulthood, rather than adolescence, and the resulting inbalance in cognitive ability between an adult and a teenager. However, you have a valid point regarding neuroplasticity and I must concede that every brain develops differently and that it is still debated amongst academics whether a teenager's impulsiveness and lack of foresight is now influenced by their lack of neural development relative to a fully mature adult or their lack of subjective experience relative to the same. There are cases of children who have had to develop skills that their peers do not have due to their circumstances and are, therefore, more comparable in their decision making to an adult than a typical child. Ergo, while it is atypical for an adolescent to have adult-like decision making capabilities, it is not impossible. The reason I urge caution is because such capabilities are atypical, but I must concede that the conclusion that adolescents are incapable of making sound decisions could be influenced by biases rather than objective study. It is also clear that the consensus amongst experts supporting that conclusion is certainly a generalization rather than absolute gospel and that their findings are likely heavily influenced by societal expectations. There are children and adolescents with decision making abilities comparable to those of typical adults, however, this appears to be anomalous rather than the standard. It is difficult to say, then, what capabilities developing minds have and what capabilities they lack without considering each mind on an individual basis. In conclusion, there is much that we do not know. My personal advice is that it is safer to be cautious and not engage in romantic or sexual relationships with minors rather than to give in to one's salacious desires, potentially and unknowingly causing harm through one's actions; however, I am also deferring to the conclusions drawn by authoritative experts in the fields of neurology and psychology who, more often than not, will concede that their recommendations are generalizations and that there are exceptions to whom their generalized recommendations do not apply. |