The Student Room Group

Age Gap

What is an acceptable age gap?

what are the limits?

I'm sure most men would think that it was ok for a 25ish year old to date a girl maybe 6 or 7 years younger

so thats like what man (25) girl (18) or something.

What does everyone else think.

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Reply 1
Hey, I'm 18 and I get guys 26 trying to talk to me, I run the other way. It feels a bit creepy to me, I get the feeling that older guys are going to play me because they think I'm weak, helpless and an easy target.

I suppose it depends on the girl, some girls like older guys because they think they're more mature.

For me under 5 years
I'm 26 and I feel like 18 would be too young, but I suppose I wouldn't rule it out either.
There is a similar thread to this already but anyways, I'm 17 and am going out with a 20 year old and we get on really well. But I'd consider going out with anyone up to 28 I think.
Reply 4
i am a bit dubious.. it might be able to work for 2 or 3 years

but i think around the age of 21-22 the girl would think well he's like marriage age now and i'm still young and have fun

and she'd end up ending it for a silly reason like that.
Reply 5
also i did search but couldn't find the other thread?

sorry for the duplicate

maybe murge? or link me to that?

thanks
im 21 and perfect age for me would probably be about 27/28
Reply 7
well im 18 and my bf is 21.....I don't think that's bad
Reply 8
Original post by xxEmzJanexx
well im 18 and my bf is 21.....I don't think that's bad


no thats normal. :smile:

i think its accepted at about 4 years is right isn't it.

Just wondering how much older you would go?

what about a 25 year old?
Reply 9
Original post by Bruich
no thats normal. :smile:

i think its accepted at about 4 years is right isn't it.

Just wondering how much older you would go?

what about a 25 year old?


I don't think that's bad either, my boyfriend has a friend who's 21 and seeing a 45 yr old man
Original post by Bruich
i am a bit dubious.. it might be able to work for 2 or 3 years

but i think around the age of 21-22 the girl would think well he's like marriage age now and i'm still young and have fun

and she'd end up ending it for a silly reason like that.


I got together with my husband when I was 17 and he was 24.

We got married when I was 21 and he was 28. We had our daughter that same year, a son 2 years after that, and another son 2 years after that.

So, I guess I didn't end it for 'a silly reason like that' :wink:
When I was 19 I dated a guy who was 27, and I liked him and we got on well, but the age difference just made me feel a bit weird and I felt we were at different places in our lives. He wanted to get serious and it scared me so I left. (I literally got up and left while he was asleep and went home because I realised I just didn't feel completely comfortable with the relationship) I feel bad cuz he did nothing wrong and he did make very happy and we had some really good times.

I think that sometimes it's not really you who has a problem with the age gap, it's the fact that some people view it negatively and that gives you doubts about it when you wouldn't otherwise have doubts.
Reply 12
I think a 4 year age gap is fine. (Between 18 and 22)
When people hit their 20's then I think there are no age boundaries (applicable if going after someone older than you).
The not-creepy-rule is 'half your age plus 7.' So for a 25-year-old that's 19 and a half. For a 20-year-old it's 17. For a 30-year-old it's 22. Obviously exceptional circumstances yadda yadda but that's the rule of thumb.
If you are both happy then, in most cases, it isn't up to anybody else to tell you it is "acceptable" or not. Age is not the most important thing.
Reply 15
I'm 20 and my boyfriend is 24, which is the perfect age gap for me. I have dated guys closer to my own age and found them too immature.

On the other hand, I have been hit on by guys 10-20 years older than me, and I have never felt comfortable with it. If I was a bit older I might find it less creepy.

This is just generally speaking based on experience, but that's not to say I wouldn't make an exception if it felt right.
I'm 21 & my fiance is 26 in August, so we have an almost-five year age gap - the same as his parents and my grandparents. His brother is 30 this year & his new wife just turned 21, so they have a 9 year age gap. If both parties are mature about it & not bothered - and obviously a 15 year old isn't dating a 25 year old because I feel that is slightly creepy (and potentially illegal depending on what you get up to) then I can't see an issue with age gaps.
So conversely to most people who've posted here, I'm 26 and my girlfriend is 32 (i.e. she's 6 years older than me). I think the half age plus 7 thing, which I've never known before, feels kind of natural, but I don't think there are any hard rules between adults who are roughly from the same century. But the feeling society gives you is that the older you are the bigger an age gap is acceptable..
'rules' are silly, unless of course the younger person is underage. but still, it depends on the maturity of each person? i'm 19 and my boyfriend is turning 26 this year, but you'd barely notice the age gap.
Reply 19
I think it depends on the maturity and view points of both partners. If you're on the same wavelength age usually means very little. I used to think guys about 5 years older than myself were the ideal, though I was willing to stretch it up to 8 and 10 when I met older men and it suited me to do so haha. This year I met a guy a year younger than myself though and while that was initially a turn off for me in the end it didn't even matter. So, I think it all depends on the situation and who you meet. If you click, you click and age doesn't usually factor into it that much.

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