The growing public debate around “consensual sex” among underage children must stop.

It is not only misguided but dangerously irresponsible. Society’s role is not to normalise adult behaviour among children; it is to protect them, guide them, and prepare them for responsible adulthood. When we blur that line, we fail—especially our girls.

Children are not miniature adults. They are still developing emotionally, psychologically, and morally. To label sexual activity among minors as “consensual” ignores a critical reality: children lack the maturity to fully understand the consequences of sexual behaviour. Consent requires informed judgment and foresight—qualities that most underage youths simply do not yet possess.

Even more troubling is the gendered reality of this debate. From an early age, the girl child—like women—is increasingly sexualised and treated as a sex symbol. Her body is scrutinised, discussed, marketed, and judged, while society conveniently looks away from the unequal burden she will inevitably carry when things go wrong.

When underage sex results in pregnancy, it is almost always the girl who pays the price. It is the girl who drops out of school. It is the girl whose education is interrupted or permanently ended. It is the girl who is shamed, scorned, whispered about, and blamed. Her future is often derailed, while the boy is allowed to continue his education, his social life, and his ambitions with little consequence.

This is not empowerment; it is injustice.

Sex is not a casual act—it is a serious responsibility. It carries the risk of pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, emotional trauma, and lifelong consequences. Yet we expect children—many of whom cannot manage basic life skills such as cooking a meal, keeping their space in order, or regulating their emotions—to shoulder responsibilities that even adults struggle to manage.

The narrative that underage youths are capable of handling sexual responsibility is not rooted in reality. It is rooted in convenience, cultural pressure, and the failure of adults to set boundaries. Meanwhile, girls bear the social, emotional, and economic consequences of that failure.

Instead of normalising underage sexual activity, society should be reinforcing values, discipline, and self-worth. Children should be encouraged to focus on their education, their character, and their dreams—not pressured into adult behaviours by social media, popular culture, and misguided public discourse.

We must also confront the hypocrisy. A society that sets age limits for driving, voting, drinking, and signing legal contracts cannot, in good conscience, claim that children are mature enough to engage in sexual activity. If a child is too young to make legal decisions, they are too young to fully consent to life-altering sexual consequences.

Normalising underage sex perpetuates cycles of poverty, school dropout, emotional harm, and gender inequality. It reinforces a system where girls lose, and boys move on. That is not progress—it is regression disguised as modern thinking.

True protection of children—especially the girl child—requires moral clarity and courageous leadership. It requires adults to say “not yet,” to set boundaries, and to stand against narratives that sacrifice children’s futures for social convenience.

Let children be children. Let girls be students, dreamers, and leaders—not statistics, not cautionary tales, not victims of a society that failed to protect them. Sex is an adult responsibility, and until a child is ready to bear its consequences, society has no business legitimising it.