River News (Wed, 25 August 2004)

Paul Russell

A long-awaited review of the Broadcasting Act 1992 was recently tabled in Federal Parliament. It examined the effectiveness of the present system for regulating objectionable content on the internet and considered the feasibility of alternative approaches.

Concern, however, is the view expressed in the Review that some schemes for regulation, while potentially very effective, are simply too expensive. There is no doubt that there is a major problem with pornography on the internet, particularly the ease and frequency with which children are exposed to pornographic images. In early 2003 the Australia Institute released a paper demonstrating that 38% of 16 and 17 year old boys were deliberately using the internet to view sexually explicit material, while 84% of boys and 60% of girls had experienced unwanted exposure to this material.

The Institute has called for more regulation of internet content. The consequences of this growing problem are disturbing. Last November, staff from the Child at Risk Assessment Unit, Canberra Hospital, reported that exposure to internet pornography is a significant factor in children younger than 10 years old sexually abusing other children.

Less than a decade ago, the Unit was dealing with an average of 3 such cases a year. In the first six months alone of last year they had already identified 48 cases of sexual abuse. In the light of recent media coverage of child abuse concerns in this state, it is vitally important that more be done to protect our children during the formative years of their lives. 

The Australian Family Association will soon be forwarding a petition to the Senate, calling for measures to be taken to restrict children’s exposure to internet pornography by means of mandatory filtering of pornographic content. A copy of the petition is available from our office and we encourage people to get involved by phoning 8379 0246 or emailing nccafa@chariot.net.au.