This Discussion Paper follows on a previous one examining the extent of youth exposure to pornography and the likely effects. It examines the effectiveness of current regulatory arrangements and puts forward new proposals for minimising youth exposure to internet pornography. It also presents the findings of a special survey of parents attitudes to internet pornography.

The current regulatory system for protecting children from Internet porography is failing, according to Michael Flood and Clive Hamilton. They argue for school pornography education, mandatory filtering of content by service providers (with an adult "opt-out" option), and online strategies to minimise children's exposure.

Three-quarters of 16 and 17 year-olds have been exposed accidentally to pornographic websites on the Internet, and two in five boys have found them deliberately, according to the Australia Institute report released on Monday. The material these teenagers are seeing is often violent and extreme, and there is evidence that regular exposure is damaging their...