Do you think it's weird and/or predatory for a 13 year-old and a 30 year-old to be best friends if they're not family members or related by blood? Assuming everything is innocent and platonic. Nothing romantic or sexual.
Yes, it's weird and predatory
It's weird. But not predatory
It's predatory. But not weird
No, it's not weird or predatory
*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).
unpopular opinion but I don't think there's anything weird or predatory about an innocent friendship
The question is why the fuck is a thirty year old hanging out with a 13 year old if not in their family?? The only other relation that could have them interact is through teacher/student and bring friends like that would be weird as fuck
found family? the kid not feeling safe in their house? the adult wanting to help? family / teacher / school isn't always a guaranteed safe place. should the kid and adult each have friends that are their own age too? sure. but if their friendship is genuinely innocent then I think the problem isn't them but people who project their weird and predatory thoughts onto them
Don't forget shared hobbies?
A 13 year old and a 30 year old could reasonably meet at a tabletop gaming store, a fiber arts group, a book club....
My issue is with the “best friends” bit. Friends, okay, especially if they have a shared hobby or something. That’s fine.
But if a 13 year-old’s closest friendship and MOST intimate PLATONIC connection is with someone over twice their age, I worry.
Even more when a 30-year old’s most intimate and important platonic connection is with a kid.
I worry about what that says about the other relationships in that kid’s life and their support system and their ability to even know how to recognize why something feels uncomfortable and wrong, especially if the kid is saying to themselves “well, they never touched me or were inappropriate toward me like that.”
People think that age differences and power dynamics only matter if something sexual is occurring and that if they’re just friends nothing shady or abusive can happen.
Like, an adult’s best friend is someone you tell stuff to that wouldn’t be appropriate to share to a 13 year old kid.
So, friends? Yeah sure. That’s fantastic. BEST friends? 😬




















