Online pornography

Your child may discover online porn unintentionally, or they may go looking for it. Either way, you can play a role.

For young children, accidental exposure can be confusing or distressing; at worst it can be harmful. Older kids and teenagers may be more curious and actively seek it out. Risks include exposure to graphic, violent or misleading messages about sexual practices and gender stereotypes, which can give the wrong idea about sex and intimate relationships.

How do kids find pornography online?

• Actively searching for explicit content after hearing about it from friends.
• Being shown inappropriate content by a friend, sibling, or adult.
• Mistyping a word into search, or clicking a link that looks interesting but isn’t safe.
• Clicking links in spam/phishing emails, pop-ups or dodgy sites (even on otherwise harmless websites).
• Finding porn on free games/video sites where children’s content has been hijacked with explicit versions.

How can I protect my child?

Agree clear, age-appropriate boundaries for devices, time and spaces (e.g. public areas for device use).

Discuss as a family and make sure everyone plays by the same rules. For example: “in our house we don’t share inappropriate images”.

Talk openly and regularly about what they’re doing online. This builds trust and reduces the urge to hide behaviour.

• Enable safe search in browsers and use parental controls on devices, routers and apps.
• Consider a home wi-fi curfew and be consistent with it.
• Explain why controls are in place; being overly controlling may push older children to hide behaviour.

• Keep adult content private: use discretion to avoid accidental exposure.
• Password-protect devices and separate user profiles.
• Clear browsing histories and disable auto-complete that could surface previous search terms.

Have age-appropriate conversations about sexualised content, consent and respectful relationships.

For younger children you may wait until it comes up naturally, but many experts recommend an early, gentle conversation by around 9 years old to reduce harm from accidental exposure. Every child is different — choose the timing that fits your child.

These discussions are best when your child feels they can trust you. Aim for ongoing, judgement-free chats rather than a one-off “big talk”.

What can I do if my child has found pornography online?

Thank them for telling you. Reassure them you’ll sort it out together.

Ask what they saw, where, and how they found it. Avoid lecturing in the moment — take time to decide your approach.

Focus on understanding, not punishment. Removing devices completely may be seen as punishment and discourage honesty.

Talk about feelings and reactions (curious, uncomfortable, scared — all normal). Seek professional help if they are very upset or struggling to process what they saw.

Invite questions anytime. Let them know they can always come to you.

This material has been adapted with permission from the Australian Government eSafety Commissioner . Permission to adapt content does not constitute endorsement of material by the eSafety Commissioner.