Pedophilia or pædophilia (see spelling differences) is a preferential or exclusive sexual attraction by adults to prepubescent children. A person with this attraction is called a pedophile or paedophile. Standard medical diagnosis manuals, including the ICD-10 and DSM IV currently describe pedophilia as a paraphilia and mental disorder of adults or older youths, if it causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
The term pedophile is also used colloquially and by some psychologists to denote an adult who is sexually attracted to adolescents or children below the local age of consent, as well as those convicted of child sexual abuse or child pornography related offences.