Impact of deepfake and AI porn on children subject of government probe
The impact of extreme pornography on children, including deepfake and AI-generated porn will be scrutinised in an urgent Minns government inquiry.
NSW
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The impact of extreme pornography on children will be put under the microscope in an urgent inquiry requested by the Minns government today in an attempt to curtail the effects of misogynistic content on young people.
The impact of deepfake and AI-generated pornography will be at the centre of the parliamentary inquiry, which will focus on how explicit content normalises unacceptable behaviour in young people.
NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley will write to the Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Issues Dr Sarah Kaine this morning to request an investigation of the issue.
The inquiry comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed on Wednesday that Premier Chris Minns would team up with his South Australian counterpart Peter Malinauskas to host a joint summit probing the harms social media has on young people, with both leaders calling for age of accessibility to be raised.
The new inquiry into the harms of pornography will dive into the ease in which kids can access sexually explicit content with a view to improving the age restrictions on mainstream pornography sites.
A 2023 report from the eSafety Commissioner found that 75 per cent of 16-18 year-olds in Australia had seen pornography online with nearly one third of those having viewed it before the age of 13.
The inquiry will also delve into impacts on the body image of teenagers and children and to the extent which children are exposed to pornography that depicts misogynistic and sexual violence against women.
Attorney-General Michael Daley said NSW would become the first state to hold an inquiry of this type into the impacts of pornography.
“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,” he said.
NSW Women’s Safety Commissioner Dr Hannah Tonkin said it was urgent for governments to understand the impact of pornography particularly on young boys.
“Children are being exposed, often inadvertently, to extreme forms of pornography,” she said.
“This exposure comes at a crucial time in children’s lives when they are developing attitudes about gender roles, sex and relationships.”
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