Well, some also depends on the age of concent. Last I knew where I was around your age it was 18. If there is something similar where you live when you are 18 and she is 16 it will set you up for serious legal issues. Once you are both at least over the age of concent then it is a different conversation. Still early but a different conversation.
Also, when you say "dating" what do you mean? When I was younger I had a boyfriend and we said we were dating. However, as an adult know I have a very different understanding of that word.
So... perhaps explaining what dating looks like between you and your GF could take some of the heat off... or not depending on what you mean.