Is it? Are they not all dopamine pathways in the end, with addicts being developed from all of those activities? Do you have any evidence for that? People spent decades arguing that rock & roll, Dungeons & Dragons and videogames would lead to moral corruption and decay. Turns out there is no evidence to support any of it in the end. The immorality was always "self-evident". That's not enough to justify banning something though as evidence has shown again and again.

Also, whose morality are we talking about here? Morality is all over the map depending on which culture you ask. Each cares more or less about sanctity, divinity, loyalty, freedom etc.

And you're correct, my personal opinion on this is irrelevant.

>I’m trying to assume you’re asking the question to spur conversation, and not that you actually hold the view that watching child porn, whether synthetic or not, is morally equivalent to playing video games.

I think you're less trying to assume this, and more trying to cast aspersions without breaking HN rules. Barely.