Can someone who had occasional sexual thoughts about a younger child when they were 13-14 years old be considered a pedophile? These thoughts stopped after puberty ended, weren't regular, and most of my sexual thoughts at that time were about people my age or older. I experienced a lot of sexual curiosity about many different things during that time. I'm worried about what this means about me.

It sounds like you were experiencing a surge of broad sexual curiosity during puberty, where just about anything could trigger arousal as your body and mind tried to figure out what felt right to you. When you were thirteen or fourteen, you were still in the midst of your own growth and not an adult. Pedophilia generally refers to a persistent sexual interest in pre-pubescent children that develops in adulthood, so your experiences at that age, even if they involved some troubling fantasies, would not typically be viewed in that same light. Many adolescents go through a phase where they’re unsure how to interpret sexual thoughts or feel overwhelmed by new urges, and it’s not unusual for those thoughts to shift significantly as you mature. The fact that these thoughts subsided after you moved beyond puberty suggests that what you went through was more about adolescent curiosity and the intense changes of that time in your life rather than a fixed or ongoing attraction. If you still feel distressed or uncertain, it may help to talk with a trusted counselor or someone who understands the complexities of how sexual development unfolds. You deserve reassurance and clarity about these early experiences. Please remember you are not alone in having felt confusion about your desires during that stage, and allowing yourself compassion for the younger version of you can be an important part of healing.