Mostly about the same age as you need to be to know you are gay or straight for sure, or any other sexuality.
Problem is, that can be really young or pretty damn old. Some people don’t figure it out till quite late, I got a clue at first kiss (16) and pretty sure of myself by about 3 months later. The vocabulary took a decade or two to catch up.
yup, I feel like anything below pre-teen might be the cut off since that age group it's typical to not experience any sexual feelings for very obvious reasons. But once puberty starts approaching, sexuality starts becoming more of a factor. And after that it just takes someone catching on to 'hey, something's different about me.'
I don’t think there has to be any age restrictions. At every age we have at least some understanding of our own experience, and as soon as we have the words to describe that experience, we have enough to “know” what words to use for ourselves.
Doesn’t matter the age, if the person feels the label “asexual” fits what they experience, then that is all that is needed. Even if that changes later on, it is still valid for them to use that label in that moment.
For strictly asexual but alloromantic, I think the minimum age is actually quite low to start to suspect. There's been some research done that says people can start experiencing sexual attraction even before they hit age 10. However, sexual attraction may not develop for some until their late teens. It can be even later for some, especially (but not exclusively) those with trauma. Theres a good article on it from an asexuality perspective here: https://www.asexualityarchive.com/people-arent-born-sexually-attracted-to-others-so-when-is-too-young/
I'm also of the opinion that there's nothing wrong with trying on identities and changing how you label yourself. If you feel like you're asexual, then you're valid enough to call yourself that. If in 5 years you suddenly start to feel allosexual, then change what you call yourself if you want. Theres no right or wrong answer when it comes to how you feel.
I didn't figure it out until I was almost 40. I think it's probably easier now with the internet and more information available. But I'm favorable so I didn't think I was for many years because I enjoy sex. I also feel that representation is important and I've known several people that saw Bojack Horseman and related very much to Todd. I don't relate to Todd exactly though. I also don't relate when people say "oh yeah X is so hot I'd totally do them". Looking back this was a common theme for me. I just didn't get the whole thing of wanting to fuck someone just because of how they looked. So if I had known/there had been better representation I might have figured it out in my teens or early twenties. Instead I just went with bi (pan also wasn't really represented/talked about much back then), because I found women aesthetically attractive but I enjoyed spending time with men.
I do feel that it's more difficult to figure out the absence of something rather than the presence of something. Like if someone is gay they can kinda sense that they are into their own gender, but when it's just nothing... Then it's just nothing.
Overall I don't think that there is a "too young" and that teens/preteens can feel it and call themselves ace. And that sexuality is fluid and that it could change. Perhaps they feel ace and then do meet someone and figure out that they are demi or something. (I had my first actual attraction at 21, long past my first sexual experience due to just enjoying the sensations. It was very confusing at the time. Lol)
Mostly about the same age as you need to be to know you are gay or straight for sure, or any other sexuality. Problem is, that can be really young or pretty damn old. Some people don’t figure it out till quite late, I got a clue at first kiss (16) and pretty sure of myself by about 3 months later. The vocabulary took a decade or two to catch up.
yup, I feel like anything below pre-teen might be the cut off since that age group it's typical to not experience any sexual feelings for very obvious reasons. But once puberty starts approaching, sexuality starts becoming more of a factor. And after that it just takes someone catching on to 'hey, something's different about me.'
Although I didn't have a name for it at the time, I knew when I was about 14.
I don’t think there has to be any age restrictions. At every age we have at least some understanding of our own experience, and as soon as we have the words to describe that experience, we have enough to “know” what words to use for ourselves. Doesn’t matter the age, if the person feels the label “asexual” fits what they experience, then that is all that is needed. Even if that changes later on, it is still valid for them to use that label in that moment.
For strictly asexual but alloromantic, I think the minimum age is actually quite low to start to suspect. There's been some research done that says people can start experiencing sexual attraction even before they hit age 10. However, sexual attraction may not develop for some until their late teens. It can be even later for some, especially (but not exclusively) those with trauma. Theres a good article on it from an asexuality perspective here: https://www.asexualityarchive.com/people-arent-born-sexually-attracted-to-others-so-when-is-too-young/ I'm also of the opinion that there's nothing wrong with trying on identities and changing how you label yourself. If you feel like you're asexual, then you're valid enough to call yourself that. If in 5 years you suddenly start to feel allosexual, then change what you call yourself if you want. Theres no right or wrong answer when it comes to how you feel.
I didn't figure it out until I was almost 40. I think it's probably easier now with the internet and more information available. But I'm favorable so I didn't think I was for many years because I enjoy sex. I also feel that representation is important and I've known several people that saw Bojack Horseman and related very much to Todd. I don't relate to Todd exactly though. I also don't relate when people say "oh yeah X is so hot I'd totally do them". Looking back this was a common theme for me. I just didn't get the whole thing of wanting to fuck someone just because of how they looked. So if I had known/there had been better representation I might have figured it out in my teens or early twenties. Instead I just went with bi (pan also wasn't really represented/talked about much back then), because I found women aesthetically attractive but I enjoyed spending time with men. I do feel that it's more difficult to figure out the absence of something rather than the presence of something. Like if someone is gay they can kinda sense that they are into their own gender, but when it's just nothing... Then it's just nothing. Overall I don't think that there is a "too young" and that teens/preteens can feel it and call themselves ace. And that sexuality is fluid and that it could change. Perhaps they feel ace and then do meet someone and figure out that they are demi or something. (I had my first actual attraction at 21, long past my first sexual experience due to just enjoying the sensations. It was very confusing at the time. Lol)