University of South Australia's Professor Freda Briggs has revealed she has been asked to assist in an Adelaide case where a five year-old boy was asked to perform a sexual act on a group of six-year-old schoolboys. She said this type of problem is happening "all too frequently".
"Children are taking porn to school on their mobiles, showing others, and trying to do what the grown-ups do," Professor Briggs said. "In allowing adults to see whatever they want to see, we have exposed children to really damaging material."
Ros Phillips said most cases of child-on-child sex abuse are not reported because families and schools do not want their children exposed to court procedures or media publicity.
"But sometimes, as today, details leak out," she said. "In February, a 13-year-old in the UK forced his eight-year-old sister to take part in sexual activity after viewing porn. A Canberra study of children who had sexually assaulted other children found that pornography exposure was a significant trigger. UK teachers say students are watching porn during break times.
"Online porn is so accessible. Responsible parents cannot protect their children from what they see in school yards on others' mobile phones or in public libraries, where computers are not filtered," Ros Phillips said.
"The UK government has recognised the seriousness of the problem. UK internet service providers must provide filters with 'on' as the default.
"Australian governments – state and federal – need to wake up to what's happening to our children. Communications minister Malcolm Turnbull has responsibility for internet regulation. Is he listening?"