MEDIA RELEASE

The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) has shown that children have become increasingly likely to engage in harmful sexual behaviours against other children in recent years.

Early exposure to pornography is a clear pathway to harmful sexual behaviours amongst children and young people.

Adult pornography is increasingly incorporating themes relating to child abuse, such as incest.

We cannot hope to prevent child sexual abuse and family violence while it is being normalised on an industrial scale.

Showing children pornography is a recognised form of child sexual abuse and grooming. We cannot allow the technology sector to engage in this while we criminalise the same conduct amongst individual perpetrators.

The Grace Tame Foundation CEO and child sexual abuse survivor, Grace Tame, welcomes the discussion around the role of childhood maltreatment and mental health in family, domestic and sexual violence, but would like to see concrete commitment in this area.