My parents started me sailing before I was born, and this continued until roughly age 15 when we sold the boat. Most of the time we took local weekend trips, but typically there were at least two or three offshore trips across the english channel to Franch or the UK Channel Islands every year.
From a safety perspective, our boats were rigged with netting on the lifelines and I was required to wear a PFD and
harness whenever I was topside.
IMHO the younger you start, the more respect you will learn for the sea.
Graham