How old is old enough? It's an age-old question for parents with teenagers looking to date. But now a study from the University of Georgia claims that kids who wait to date might be better off.

According to the same study, the majority of teenagers from ages 15 to 17 have had some kind of romantic experience, but that same study shows that kids that haven't can be just as healthy. 

“You know in my generation, when we were growing up, it was towards the end of high school,” said Ita Neymotin, a mother from Fort Myers.
Ita Neymotin likes to keep a close eye on her 12-year-old adolescent daughter, whether at tennis practice or school.  
“Kids today have a very difficult time with social media, and internet, and there are a lot of pressures to start dating earlier,” Neymotin said. 
She and other parents have noticed that kids today are under immense pressure to date, sometimes before they're ready to. To some parents, teenage dating is all a part of growing up, with lessons to be learned. 
“I think by starting earlier, you can kind of practice your social skills, politeness, holding the door for someone, just normal conversation between two individuals. You’d think you’d progress more,” said Thomas Coyne, a father.
And while those lessons might be true, research from the Journal of School Health found that kids who didn't date in middle or high school had better social skills and even lower levels of depression. But the data doesn't mean they're better off. It just means that parents shouldn't be worried if their teenager isn't ready to date just yet. 
“What I have found is if they tell you about the little things and you are there for them, they will tell you about the big things as well,” Neymotin added. 