Agree. It may well be a bad proxy. But it does not mean the problem is getting worse either, one would need to back it up with some arguments/estimates. The number of pictures on the internet does not seems a good one to me (cats population has not grown that big).

I am thinking that people don't seem to know if the problem is really getting bigger. They just say it. If we don't know that, we cannot use growing child pornography as an argument to reducing civil liberties.