>>3799350While age of consent is a social construct, the reason it roughly exists in most modern countries at the range of 16-18 is because in modern society children are seen as dependent. They can't work and need education. Therefore, they are in a more vulnerable position to be taken advantage of by an adult that can provide these aspects.
Now, if children were allowed to have relationships with adults, not all of it would be bad. There is room for genuine affection between the adult and child. But by the very nature of pedophiles (assuming they are exclusive), they can't stay attracted to the child for long. Eventually the adult will want to move on to another child. This can have particularly bad effects on the still developing child that was dumped. Rejection can already be difficult to an adult. Imagine being a child in love with an adult and the only reason they left you is because you started going through puberty. That would most likely be devastating. That is just my two cents however, and it is all theory.
we can't know for sure how this would play out in reality. Pedophilia has been normal for most of humanity, actually. But human lifestyle has changed so much. It is unclear that how it would play out.
It is mostly banned now because people don't want to risk gambling on their children. Society is generally more protective of children now.
Children used to be seen as a method of life insurance and labor. You would have children to ensure your family business or whatever. Now children are nothing more than glorified pets, to be honest. They serve no practical purpose other than to be loved. So naturally, society has taken an extreme hard line approach to child protection. Sometimes to an extreme.
