Hebephilia: Proposed paraphilia encompassing the sexual interest in pubescent children

Adults with this attraction are called "hebephiles" or "hebophiles." The word hebephilia comes from Greek: Hebe is the Greek goddess of youth, and philia means love. There are media reports of hebephilic acts between female teachers/baby Sitter and young students.

Hebephilia is not a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. It was a hotly contested debate when the recent edition was created. Some research suggests that hebephilia can be distinguished and diagnosed, and that it occurs more frequently than pedophilia. But many experts argue that the concept lacks valid data, that it counters evolutionary biology, and that the diagnosis would offer a legal loophole to perpetrators of sex crimes.

• Pedophilia
• Ephebophilia
• Parthenophilia
• Sexual attraction