The point of having an age of consent (in this case 16 in the UK) is not popularity, and not just parental awareness or protection from people in positions of power.
It’s a decision by society that kids below this age are incapable of grasping the full consequences of their consent.
Of course the limit is going to be somewhat arbitrary, and you can definitely argue that age of consent laws are bad without being a creep, but you’d have to argue that a 15 year old understands the ramifications of consent.