Academics Criticize Australian AG's 'Harmful Pornography' Inquiry

Academics Criticize Australian AG's 'Harmful Pornography' Inquiry

SYDNEY — After New South Wales state authorities announced earlier this month plans to hold an inquiry on the impacts of “harmful pornography,” researchers associated with the prestigious Australian academic site The Conversation have questioned the blatantly negative framing of the project.

New South Wales Attorney General Michael Daley has requested that a parliamentary committee “look into and report on the impacts of violent and misogynistic pornographic material on mental, emotional and physical health,” Australia’s ABC News reported.

"A generation of young men are growing up with unprecedented access to the online world, and this includes early and easy access to pornography, with harmful depictions of the treatment of women," Daley told the press on Aug. 2. "This inquiry will for the first time in our state provide insight into the full impacts of harmful pornography online and young people's access to it."

This week, Giselle Woodley and Lelia Green of Edith Cowan University, whose research is part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project "Adolescents' perceptions of harm from accessing online sexual content," published an article on The Conversation noting that “the negative framing of the inquiry risks revisiting old arguments, rather than advancing the debate and policies.”

According to Woodley and Green, although politicians, the mainstream press and vocal anti-porn and anti-sex-work activists have centered the debate around the potential harm to teenagers, “very few people have interviewed teens about it.”

“As part of our research, we asked teens about their experiences of porn and found many have a nuanced understanding of the risks, but also the benefits,” they wrote.

Woodley and Green’s research showed that, contrary to the biases of anti-porn activists as filtered through politicians and the media, “teens hold very mixed views about both porn and sexting” and “some of these views were positive.”

Porn, the authors also found, “may offer more accessible and explicit representations of sex and bodies that schools cannot.”

The authors recommend that policymakers and researchers “listen to teens, giving more importance to their firsthand experiences over secondhand statements. Secondhand statements tend to repeat warnings teens hear from others. Their actual experiences may be different from those represented in the media.”

Main Image: New South Wales Attorney General Michael Daley

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

North Carolina Passes Extreme Bill Targeting Adult Sites

The North Carolina state legislature this week ratified a bill that would impose new regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

Supreme Court Ruling Due Friday in FSC v. Paxton AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on Friday in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the adult industry trade association's challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

Ofcom: More Porn Providers Commit to Age Assurance Measures

A number of adult content providers operating in the U.K. have confirmed that they plan to introduce age checks in compliance with the Online Safety Act by the July 25 deadline, according to U.K. media regulator Ofcom.

Aylo Says It Will Comply With UK Age Assurance Requirements

Tech and media company Aylo, which owns various adult properties including Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube, plans to introduce age assurance methods in the United Kingdom that satisfy government rules under the Online Safety Act, the company has announced.

Kyrgyzstan Parliament Approves Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday passed legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

Trial Set for Lawsuit by U Wisconsin Professor Fired Over Adult Content

A trial date of June 22, 2026, has been set for the civil lawsuit filed by veteran communications professor Joe Gow against the University of Wisconsin board of regents, which fired him for creating and appearing in adult content.

New UK Task Force Meets to Target Adult Content

The architect of an influential report that recommended banning adult content deemed “degrading, violent and misogynistic” has convened an “Independent Pornography Review task force” aimed at translating that report’s findings into action in the U.K.

11:11 Creations Launches Affiliate Program

11:11 Creations principal Alicia Silver has launched 11:11 Cash for creators and affiliates.

Pineapple Support, Pornhub to Host 'Self Love' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Pornhub are hosting a free online support group for performers to develop self-love.

Paysite 'RealGirlsFuck' Relaunches as 'Taboolu.com'

Producer/performer Josh Lewis has relaunched his paysite, RealGirlsFuck, as Taboolu.com.

Show More