Hebephilia is an erotic preference for pubescent minors—girls or boys who have entered puberty (generally aged 11–14 years) but are not yet fully sexually mature. It is distinguished from other erotic preferences: pedophilia (prepubescent children, generally aged 10 years or younger), ephebophilia (fully sexually mature adolescents, generally aged 15–19 years), and teleiophilia (adults). Hebephilic behavior clashes with modern Western values and laws, and some clinicians, most notably Ray Blanchard, have argued that hebephilic preference should be classified as a mental health disorder. Other researchers (e.g., Bruce Rind) have argued that it should not, given that hebephilic behavior and desire have been common and functional in many other cultures and species. In 2012, the American Psychiatric Association rejected classifying hebephilia as a mental health disorder. ...

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