Age of attraction

Age of attraction, or AoA, refers to the age range of boys to whom a boylover is most attracted. One's AoA may be wide enough so as to include all boys below a certain age, or may be restricted to a more specific selection of ages, depending on the boylover's individual preferences. Sometimes those whose AoA favors younger boys (often under 6) may refer to themselves as little boy lovers. Those whose AoA favors teenage boys (who have reached puberty) may refer to themselves as teen boy lovers or ephebophiles. Factors in one's age of attraction can include both the physical and emotional development of the boy. As most commonly used, the term denotes a sexual as well as an emotional attraction.

Some boylovers resist claming any specific AoA for themselves, since they find that the ages of the boys they are attracted to vary much. They argue that a boy's age says little of his attractiveness. Others, wishing to express their special preference for particular ages without excluding a broader range prefer the term primary age of attraction.