ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ages of consent in South America

Okay kiddo, let's talk about ages of consent in South America.

So, you know how when you want to do something, you need to ask permission from a grown-up? Well, it's kind of the same idea, except when it comes to having romantic or sexual relationships, there are laws that determine when it's okay for people to say "yes" or "no" to those kinds of things.

In South America, the age of consent varies depending on the country. In some countries, like Argentina and Chile, the age of consent is 18 years old. That means that if someone is younger than 18, they can't legally agree to have any sexual activity with someone else, even if they really want to.

Other countries, like Brazil and Colombia, have a lower age of consent. In Brazil, for example, the age of consent is 14 years old. However, there are some important rules to keep in mind. For one, it's illegal for someone who is older than 18 to have any kind of sexual activity with someone who is under the age of 14. That's because there's a big power difference between a young person and an adult, and it's important to protect young people from getting hurt.

There are also rules about what kinds of sexual activities are okay at different ages. For example, in some countries, like Ecuador, it's legal for two people who are both under the age of 18 to have sexual activity with each other, but they can't do certain things like taking pictures or videos of themselves doing it.

So you see, kiddo, there are lots of different rules that govern when it's okay for someone to engage in romantic or sexual behavior. These rules are important to help keep people safe and healthy, and to make sure that everyone is truly consenting to what's going on.