North dakota laws regarding dating minors dating by referral

In South Dakota, it is illegal for an adult (someone 18 or older) to have sex with a minor (someone younger than 16), even if the sex is consensual.

In the United States, age of consent laws regarding sexual activity are made at the state level.Statutory rape laws are premised on the assumption that minors are incapable of giving informed consent to sexual activities.Their incapacity is written into the statute—hence the term, “statutory” rape.The age of consent can vary among states, and some states differentiate between consensual sex between minors who are close in age (for example, two teenagers of the same age), as opposed to sex between a minor and a much older adult.Though statutory rape does not require that the prosecutor prove an assault, it is still rape.