So many people new to lolicon communities say "I'm not a pedo because I would not rape a child".

Another group say "I'm not a pedo because I think children are annoying". Obviously not child lovers, but still maybe pedophiles.

There are some people who do prefer adults, but also enjoy lolicon/shotacon. Which would mean they are not pedophiles. But they also are not completely innocent of thought crimes.

I knew I liked lolicon many years before I even considered whether I was a pedophile. I wasn't really in denial- when I first noticed myself attracted to a little girl (actually twins), I did not see anything wrong with that. But I did know others with me might think it weird that I was staring at 6 year old girls in chearleading-type outfits. And I just avoided the issue for the next year. xD