The Vote: Would You Date A 17-Year-Old?

FROM my recollection 17 is a pretty rubbish age.

You’ve just finished school and are expected to have some sort of life plan that goes deeper than wondering whether you’ll get in Tok’s at the weekend with your sister’s ID.

You insist: ‘I’m not a kid anymore, I’m seventeeeeen,’ to your parents on a daily basis, yet they’re paying for your driving lessons, food, college and wasting petrol driving you to and from your weekend job so you feel all grown-up and independent.

“At 17 I was playing computer games and eating 25p Saveloys. What I wasn't doing was singlehandedly trying to wear all the chinos in the world.”

For 17-year-old Harry Styles, X Factor spawn and now member of boy band One Direction, life is very different to that norm. As my colleague Simon Binns pointed out “at 17 I was was playing computer games and eating 25p Saveloys. What I wasn't doing was singlehandedly trying to wear all the chinos in the world.”

Fame brings all sorts of life changes at all manner of ages – just look at Macaulay Culkin. So recent news of Harry’s alleged relationship with 32-year-old Xtra Factor presenter Caroline Flack shouldn’t come as that much of a shock. He wasn’t the average 17-year-old anyway and Caroline is one of a number of celebrity cougars of late. Jennifer Lopez (42) and Madonna (53) are both reportedly dating 24-year-olds at the moment.

The difference is Harry is not yet an adult and to put it bluntly, has only been legal for a year or so - and that’s what makes this particular pairing a little more hard to swallow. Caroline is by no means old, but 17 is really young.

Harry Styles On X Factor 2010

Life experience counts for a lot and whichever way you look at it, it doesn’t get any better. Even if Harry is the most mentally mature 17-year-old the world has ever seen, he still can’t grow facial hair, hence why the average Harry fan is 12.

Of course, it isn’t all about looks and it would be interesting to know what Caroline and Harry actually talk about. I’m nearly 29 and like most women, I like to talk. To me, most teenage boys, whether 13 or 19, seem unable to speak let alone hold a stimulating conversation. It’s more a combination of awkward mumbles, grunts and one-liners but maybe Harry is different?

When quizzed about their relationship in Now magazine Caroline, true to female form, went into deep and meaningful detail. ‘I feel like I shouldn’t have to worry about what I do,’ she said. ‘But it’s a social thing that people aren’t accepting of big age gaps. I keep thinking, "What have I done wrong?" But I haven’t done anything wrong. What’s hard for me to get my head around is people saying it’s disgusting. I don’t think it is.'

And Harry’s verdict on an Irish talk show recently? “I think she’s really hot”.

That’s right Caroline; age ain’t nothing but a number. Keep telling yourself that.

Harry And Caroline On This Year's Xtra Factor

It’s fair to say Harry could go out with his pick of every pretty 17-year-old in the country, yet he’s supposedly chosen Caroline. Either it’s true love or he’s just filling his boots because he can, but whatever the reason it’s Caroline who will suffer.

She’s reportedly received death threats from some One Direction fans (get a grip, btw) and negative opinions dominated Twitter yesterday under the trend #HarryandCaroline.

Tweets included: ‘Caroline should be having kids, not dating them’, ‘The age gap is not really the problem here is it, it's the fact he's 17!!’ and the concise ‘wtf are you doing harry?’

If the pair are together beyond Christmas, and after that beyond a year, and then they get married, and stay married, ‘til death do they part, they will officially be 100 per cent unique.

Chances are, they’re just having a bit of fun and the whole thing will be done and dusted quicker than Matt Cardle’s X Factor recording contract. Until then, people will continue to air and tweet their largely negative opinions of Ca-rryGate, normally ending with the line ‘but who am I to judge?’ Well this is X Factor after all, so let’s take it to a public vote...

Do you think it’s okay for a 32-year-old woman to date a 17-year-old boy?

Follow Lynda on Twitter @lyndamoyo