What can I do?

Working together to address pornography’s influence

As parents, carers, families, schools, communities and as a society, we all have roles to play in supporting young people to navigate pornography’s influence – and equipping them with the skills they will need for a sexuality that is respectful, mutual, consenting and safe.

Our efforts will be most effective when we all work together using approaches that are informed by young people, and tailored to the needs of the specific young people in our lives.

Parents
and carers

As key educators and supporters in young people's lives, parents and carers have an important role to play in helping young people to navigate pornography’s influence.

Photograph of a young White mother and her teenage son sitting on the couch talking and looking at something together. The mother has long brown hair, pale skin, and wears an orange top. The son has very pale skin, red hair and freckles.

Teachers and other professionals

In a world where pornography has become a default sexuality educator, teachers and other trusted professionals can play a critical role in addressing the influence of pornography with the young people they support.

Photograph of a group of diverse Black and Brown professional women having a meeting in which they're talking in-depth and figuring out a problem together.

YOUNG PEOPLE

In this world where we spend so much time online, pornography can be difficult to avoid. All young people deserve support to understand that relationships and sex can be so much better than what is shown in porn.

Photograph of a young East Asian teenage boy with glasses, laying in bed in the dark looking at his phone. He has pale skin and short dark hair.

Understanding
the issues

In order to support young people to navigate the influence of pornography we must first understand the issues. Parents, carers and professionals who work with autistic young people need to develop an understanding of the nature of contemporary pornography, how it is impacting on young people, how pornography’s influence may be amplified for autistic young people, and why we need to support them to navigate this new normal.

Photograph of a young Black man sitting at a table with his laptop, looking deep in thought. He has brown skin, short curly hair and wears a thick flannel jacket.
A young East Asian teenage girl sitting on a couch looking at her phone. She has long dark hair in braids and light tan skin, and wears a grey sweater.
A young Latino teenage boy looking intently at his phone up close. He wears glasses, a white tee shirt and looks serious. He has short dark hair and light brown skin.
A young Black teenage boy looks at his phone whilst sitting on a wooden chair. He wears a grey sweater and has his hair shaved short. He has dark skin and is smiling a bit.
A teenage boy lays in bed looking intently at his phone. He has light skin and short dark hair.
A White teenage girl sits on a couch absorbed in her phone. She has pale skin, long brown hair and wears a flannel over a tee shirt.
A young Black teenage girl looks at an iPad whilst sitting on the couch. She has long wavy brown hair and brown skin, and wears pyjamas. She looks concerned.