Can 18 year olds date someone younger than them?

In a Nutshell: Sex between an 18 year-old and a 15 year-old is illegal in California, meaning any touching of “private parts” of either, even with consent of both parties (and perhaps even the parents of each teenager) is illegal in California because the age of consent is 18.

Is it illegal to date someone 7 years younger than you?

The “age of consent” is how old a person legally needs to be to agree to sex with someone — these ages vary state by state. If someone older than the age of consent has sex with someone younger than the age of consent, its legally considered rape.