Violent and misogynistic pornography shapes youngster's "perceptions of sex, relationships, and gender roles", a Newcastle-based clinical and forensic sexologist says.
Dr Vanessa Thompson's comments followed the announcement of a NSW parliamentary inquiry into "harmful pornography".
Dr Thompson said the inquiry was a "crucial step towards understanding the harmful effects of violent and misogynistic pornography on children and young people".
"Early exposure to such content can have profound impacts on mental, emotional and physical health," Dr Thompson said.
"The portrayal of sexual violence and degradation in mainstream pornography can contribute to the normalisation of harmful attitudes and behaviours."
The Minns government said the inquiry followed "growing community concern about the exposure of children to violence and extreme pornography".
Easily accessible pornography often contained "depictions of sexual violence and degrading sexual scripts about women".
An eSafety Commissioner report, released last year, found almost one third of 16 to 18 year-olds had seen online pornography before the age of 13.
The inquiry will examine the effects of "harmful pornography on mental, emotional and physical health".
The ways in which pornography was "accessed and circulated" would be scrutinised.
In March last year, the eSafety Commission released a roadmap for "age verification technology" for online pornography.
A federal government response to the roadmap, released in August, said such technology was "immature" and had privacy and enforcement problems.
As technology advances, age verification methods "may emerge" that could be effective and preserve "Australians' privacy and security".
Given this, the federal government sought to improve pornography education and industry codes.
"The eSafety Commissioner can move to an enforceable industry standard, if the codes developed by industry do not provide appropriate community safeguards," it said.
Liberal MP Andrew Wallace said at the time that "big porn producers" were being allowed to "self-regulate".
The NSW inquiry will consider the effectiveness of education programs into the "use and misuse of pornography".
It will consider how to improve "restrictions on access to pornography".
Dr Thompson said education and support for parents and carers was critical.
"The effectiveness of current restrictions and educational programs certainly need to be scrutinised," she said.
"It is essential that we find ways to enhance these measures to safeguard our children and young people."
The NSW inquiry will also examine the "production and dissemination of deepfake or AI-generated pornography".
Dr Thompson said this was "a necessary and timely addition to the conversation".
"As technology evolves, so too must our understanding and regulations to protect children and young people."
Dr Thompson hoped the inquiry's findings would "lead to comprehensive strategies that address the pervasive issue of harmful online content and its impact".
NSW Attorney General Michael Daley said "a generation of young men are growing up with unprecedented access to the online world".
"This includes early and easy access to pornography, with harmful depictions of the treatment of women," Mr Daley said.
Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Jodie Harrison, said "we must address the scourge of domestic violence and sexual assault from every angle".
