Great questions Eeyore.

You said there is an overriding belief that knowledge of or participation in sexual activity before a certain point, is highly indicative of future psychological hardship. I agree that the belief is widespread. But is the belief true?

Ian mentioned the Rind paper. It states, "We found that, contrary to the implications and conclusions contained in previous literature reviews that were focused on biased samples, in the general population, CSA is not associated with pervasive harm and that harm, when it occurs, is not typically intense."

If that's true, I'm pleasantly surprised that keeping secrets of sexual activity or confessing to it in this culture didn't cause measurable harm.

If we do detect harm below a certain age then how do you propose we respond to an instance where the age limit has been violated? Perhaps the couple has already interacted sexually and both wish to do so again. Or maybe they haven't yet but they are waiting until they are granted an exemption or a birthday makes it a non-issue and they try to forget what it was like to be denied consent.

You mentioned inability to process interactions as a potential source of harm. Are we creating an environment where young people can be honest about when they have found romantic and sexual love in an adult? With more peer and intergenerational conversation about the sexual experiences of youth, genuinely abused youth may feel more confident getting help.

You asked if youth adult relations has killed the fabric of society historically. Is there evidence for this? It is present in bonobos so I suspect intergernational sex was present in our common ancestor with them. Could it have an adaptive function?