It is 2026, and a 30-year-old man can still legally have sex with a 16-year-old. This stark reality is highlighted by the case of disgraced comedian Russell Brand, who admitted to sleeping with a 16-year-old when he was 30. While Brand faces trial for multiple sexual offences, this particular act is not among them because the age of consent in the UK is 16. This contrasts with the age of adulthood at 18, meaning a 16-year-old cannot drink, smoke, drive, or gamble, but can legally engage in sexual activity with someone twice their age.
The Legal Loophole
The discrepancy is glaring: if an adult takes an indecent image of a 16-year-old, it constitutes child pornography, carrying a five-year prison sentence. Yet, having sex with that same child is legal. This inconsistency is what the campaign Close The Consent Gap aims to address. Founded by Lala (known as LalaLetMeExplain) and Poppy (of The Common Passion Instagram page), the campaign proposes staggered age of consent laws. They do not want to criminalise peer relationships but seek to make it an offence for anyone aged 20 or over to engage in sexual activity with a 16- or 17-year-old unless the age difference is no more than three years.
Why This Matters
Data shows that older men often father children with teenage girls. US research found that adult fathers were responsible for 49.2% of births to mothers aged 14-17, with an average age gap of 6.4 years. A 2024 South African study showed most men fathering children with teenage girls were aged 20-29, with an average six-year gap. UK ONS data from 2025 recorded 12,158 births to women aged 14-19, compared to just 5,463 to males of the same age.
Lala, a social worker, says: “It’s frustrating when a 16-year-old client tells me they have a 40-year-old boyfriend. They think they’re in love, but often the power dynamic is abusive. These girls are isolated from friends and family, told what to wear, and may end up pregnant, missing university.” The law already recognises that power matters in positions of trust, such as teachers or youth workers, who cannot have sexual relationships with 16- and 17-year-olds. But outside these roles, a 31-year-old can legally pick up a 16-year-old from school and have sex with them. “Legal does not mean safe,” Lala emphasises.
Survivor Stories
Carmen*, now 41, lost her virginity at 16 to a 25-year-old. “It’s disgusting. I was a child,” she says. She later had a relationship with her 30-year-old boss, Simon. “Everything was on his terms. He’d have sex with me on my single bed, with Take That posters on the wall. Why would an adult man want that?” The secrecy and shame affected her long-term. “I learnt early that men can be sh*t. I didn’t know sex could be lovely. I was used.”
Poppy, co-founder, was 17 when she entered a relationship with a man in his 40s. “For two years, I lived a lie,” she says. After telling friends, she had a breakdown, was diagnosed with PTSD and OCD, and received therapy. Now in a healthy relationship, she says: “I refuse to live in shame. Through this campaign, I want to ensure no other child goes through what I did.”
Expert Insight
Dr Finn Mackay, senior lecturer in sociology, explains that young teens may be drawn to older partners for economic freedom, but this can be exploited. “Our pornified society normalises sexual objectification of girls. Some men seek submissive partners, not equals.”
The campaign will launch a petition requiring 10,000 signatures for a government response and 100,000 for parliamentary debate. Follow @closetheconsentgap for updates.
