Are there penalties for lying about age?

You miss the entire POINT of statutory rape laws. The point is that an ADULT (ie someone of a stated age) is deemed to be responsible for NOT being with a person under the age of consent. Notice, I did not say a "minor" since 16 or 17 is the age of consent in many states. It is normal for an 18 yr old guy to date or be involved with someone 1-2 yrs younger.

I understand kids today "hook up" with others on a casual basis. The concept of the law is that any ADULT needs to KNOW the age of the person he (or she!) is having sex with. That may mean such things as meeting the parents, seeing that the girl is in school or has a job.. whatever it takes to be SURE of the age.

Teenagers think they are mature.. but in reality, they are NOT, and don't grasp the consequences of being sexually involved. And, SOME guys take advantage of that immaturity.

I agree that lying is WRONG. And (surprise), I think some states where 18 is age of consent is overly strict and unrealistic. But, bottom line.. the adult is held accountable for knowing the real age and the law, and avoiding bad situations.

Like so many things, it depends on where in the world you are. It is apparent that different states in the USA do not share a common legal code, so on an international forum like Yahoo Answers it really matters that you say where you are when asking legal questions.

In the United Kingdom there is no such crime as "statutory rape" so ignore that, you won't find it in any UK lwa book.

It is an offence to have sexual intercourse with someone under the age of consent (16). This also applies if both partners are under 16. There is a defence, which is acceptable in court, that the older person really believed that the younger one was 16 or older- and that they took reasonable care to check the age of the younger person. This defence is reasonable because an enormous number of 15 year old girls (and boys) can make themselves seem older: by clothing, make up, demeanour, and choice of venue for the meeting.

Unfortunately, although the older man (or woman) may escape conviction because of this defence there is no punishment for the younger person who deceived him/her.

There is NO legal defence for having sex with someone 13 or under, regardless of how well made-up she/he was when they met the older person. It is known as a "strict liability" offence. This is probably the nearest we have to the American "statutory rape".

Another feature of the UK law is that it is "gender neutral" in respect of the victims of rape or under-age sex. It is legally possible for a man to be raped just as it is for a woman.

But the act of rape is defined in law as requiring a penis so only a man can commit rape in the UK. If a woman sexually assaults a man then she would be charged with "sexual assault", not rape. But the maxium sentence is still Life in prison.

If a man or woman makes a false rape accusation then they can be imprisoned.

Sorry, but if you think a 14 year old child is 18, you're still a freaking creep. I have never looked at a 14 year old boy with desire, even if he came up and told me he was freaking 34. The responsibility is on the ADULT because then men would just lie and say she claimed an older age, and they'd use it as a loop hole to continue molesting and raping children.

Lying about your age is not illegal unless it is done for illegal purposes (piercing ears w/o guardian, buying alcohol, buying tobacco, etc.). Because a 14 year old is below the age of consent, even if she lies about her age and agrees to the relationship, it does not matter to the law. It is up the older man to know how old she really is.

No law against that. It's not a bad idea to ask for ID.

Not illegal.