Why is everyone so stressed over the actors’ ages?

Every few business days, it feels like there’s a post or a comment where people are freaking out because the actors are growing quickly, and the slow pace of the show’s filming schedule means that their ages aren’t going to line up perfectly with the characters.

I for one cannot understand why this is such a major concern. I grew up in the generation of teens who watched teen dramas were the actors were in their 20s, some even in their 30s, and I think it’s pretty infrequent for teen characters to actually be played by teenagers for the entire duration of the media.

That’s why I’m so confused by the constant freaking out over the fact that the actors are aging. So what if Walker is 19 playing a 15 year old? That age difference is NOT significant enough to be the thing that breaks your immersion, and many college-age kids absolutely look like they could pass for teenagers. A young adult Walker is likely not going to look that old, so I think everyone needs to chill and realize it’s not that deep. The age of the actors is quite easily the least of this show’s problems.