Violent and misogynistic pornography shapes youngster's "perceptions of sex, relationships, and gender roles", a Newcastle-based clinical and forensic sexologist says. Login or signup to continue reading Dr Vanessa Thompson's comments followed the announcement of a NSW parliamentary inquiry into " harmful pornography ". Dr Thompson said the inquiry was a "crucial step towards understanding the harmful effects of violent and misogynistic pornography on children and young people".
"Early exposure to such content can have profound impacts on mental, emotional and physical health," Dr Thompson said. "The portrayal of sexual violence and degradation in mainstream pornography can contribute to the normalisation of harmful attitudes and behaviours." The Minns government said the inquiry followed "growing community concern about the exposure of children to violence and extreme pornography".
Easily accessible pornography often contained "depictions of sexual violence and degrading sexual scripts about women". An eSafety Commissioner report, released last year, found almost one third of 16 to 18 year-olds had seen online pornography before the age of 13. The inquiry will examine the effects of "harmful pornography on mental, emotional and physical health".
The ways in which pornography was "accessed and circulated" would be scrutinised. In March last year, the eSafety Commission released a roadmap for "age verification technology" for online pornography. A federal government response t.