I am utterly against pedophilia. However I don't think we need to make the argument that children or young teens don't feel sexual desire in order to deny pedophilia. Kids and teens want to do all sorts of things that are dangerous for them and illegal, like drink alcohol, drive cars etc. Does that mean they "didn't really want to do it"? Does it have to?

The argument that "children cannot consent to sex under the law because the potential for abuse and harm is just too high to countenance" is the only argument that matters against pedophilia.

My partner when he was 7, engaged in sexual activity with other boys his age. Some was consensual, another time he was raped by an older child.

When I was 12 I discovered masturbation and became obsessed with it, and while I hadn't been taught what sex was at that time, I still knew somehow that it was sexual.

Would that have meant it was OK for me to be groomed by an older person? Absolutely not. But I was sexual. Someone can be sexual and still not be old enough to legally consent. I draw the distinction between legal consent vs the more layperson idea of "If I say I want something I am consenting" - someone can truly want something and it still be bad for them and illegal for them at that age. Like I had crushes on adult men at the age of 13 and sexual fantasies about them and I absolutely would NOT have had the capacity to legally consent though.