What's the right age to let your kids start dating?

I think the question should be "how can I prepare my kids for dating?", because it doesn't really matter whether parents allow it - kids can just have their own relationships and hide it from parents, and you'd end up having a situation where they don't want to tell you anything because you're likely to disapprove of it. My parents have never really stopped me from dating, but the people I dated were definitely those who my parents wouldn't approve (they were a few years older than me, but gave me the comfort I couldn't find at home because we had a lot of family issues over the past 8-9 years) - so I went on secret dates instead. It took months before my parents found out, but they didn't say much either when they did. What did happen, however, was that I was already brainwashed/"taught wrongly" by my then-boyfriend - it sounds naive and stupid, but I got into a "if you love me, you'd have sex with me" spiral that took 8 years for me to step out of. What I'm trying to say is, don't restrict your kids from doing this or doing that - but the best thing you can do as a parent is to build the relationship between you and your child so that there's no secrets that need to be kept (yes, that includes "adult" things like health, finance and insurance). This would help them be more comfortable in sharing about everything with you, and when they do, don't freak out/overreact because they would end up feeling a mistrust! When you start noticing signs of dating, or when your child comes to tell you about it - talk to them like you would talk to a friend and NOT from an disapproving adult to a growing teen. Ask them about the boy/girl they like, what they like about him/her, how they feel about him/her, when and where they met etc - in a "I care about you, friend" manner and not a "interrogative parent" manner :) Give them the right tips and guidance, but never come across as "you cannot do this. I won't allow it." - especially using things like studies as an excuse!