>We have seen historically massive upticks in child abuse material [1], caused by two inventions: the internet and smartphones with cameras, and there's a stron

>We have seen historically massive upticks in child abuse material [1], caused by two inventions: the internet and smartphones with cameras, and there's a strong case made that it reflects an actual, large, increase in child sexual abuse. I would like to hear that strong case. I cannot find the data right now, but I have heard the rate of child sexual abuse cases has fallen since the internet's debut. A possible reason (if the rate has fallen) being that pedophiles, who know they will be severely punished if caught abusing a child, now have easy access to existing material. They don't have to exploit or abuse children around them. We don't have a guaranteed way to keep somebody from developing pedophilia, so we shouldn't ban fictional material that isn't related to actual exploitation or abuse. Images, videos, or even writing based on real events need to be caught (with the usual caveat of non-pornographic use, like a victim's memoire or a therapist's training materials). Again, I'm still looking for hard data on the rates of child sexual abuse.