https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213424003673

In two anonymous surveys of CSAM consumers in the community, most (50–64 %) reported that they first viewed CSAM by accident, often while searching for other material online (Insoll et al., 2021; Napier et al., Forthcoming). The present study aims to build on this research by examining whether (a) accidental first exposure to CSAM can lead to subsequent intentional viewing and how often this occurs, and (b) first time intentional CSAM viewers are more likely to continue to view intentionally.

Respondents who intentionally searched for CSAM at first exposure (versus those who said they discovered it by accident) had 2.5 times the odds of viewing CSAM intentionally after first exposure (see Table 2). However, a substantial proportion of accidental first-time CSAM viewers went on to view CSAM intentionally (44.0 %, 167). Specifically, 144 of 284 males (50.7 %) and 15 of 76 females (19.7 %) who first discovered CSAM by accident said they then went on to view it intentionally. Hence, clarifying research question 3, that accidental first-time discovery of CSAM does lead to subsequent intentional viewing in some individuals.

Accidental exposure to CSAM led to subsequent intentional viewing for a sizeable proportion of respondents. While all genders are exposed to CSAM, males are more likely to be exposed and intentionally view it again after first exposure. Nevertheless, a quarter of female CSAM viewers also viewed CSAM intentionally after first exposure. Intervention initiatives that aim to prevent onset and escalation of CSAM consumption in the community should target all genders and consider the predictors identified in this study.

There’s your study. You mentioned video games causing violence. Video games may not cause violence, but video games sure cause video games. People who try out a game and like it go on to become gamers. People who see child porn and like it go on to become CSAM offenders. Once a person becomes a regular CSAM consumer, there’s a higher chance they go to the dark web and pay someone for this content. And at that point, we can see genuine harm.