Kat Bennett urges Border parents to attend pornography information session with expert Maree Crabbe

Gateway Health's early years health promotions co-ordinator Kat Bennett says the session at Wodonga Catholic College will explain critical issues around pornography's increasing influence on young people.

She said concerns around the topic first came to light after a 2016 health survey of primary and high schools in Wodonga by Gateway Health revealed issues with sexting and young people failing to understand what was okay - and not okay - in an online world where explicit imagery is easily accessed, created and shared.

"It was tricky and awkward and we didn't know where to start or where to draw the line as to what is the parent's role or what is a school's role in this," Ms Bennett said.

"What we do know is it is almost impossible now for young people to avoid seeing pornography, even if they are not seeking it.

"We wanted to be able to provide parents with the facts and with some tools that might help parents safely navigate this topic with their children."

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Wednesday night's forum will be led by leading researcher Maree Crabbe, the director of violence prevention project Reality & Risk: Pornography,young people and sexuality.

She will explain how young people are influenced by explicit sexual imagery and the implications for their capacity to negotiate consent, mutual respect and gender equality.

It will show parents how they can support healthy sexual development in an age of pornography.

More than 160 people have already registered for the event, which highlighted its importance for Border parents and the wider community, Ms Bennett said.

"As a community and as a nation, we are failing in terms of gender equality and violence against women," she said.

"If pornography is one of the only educators about sexuality for young people, that creates a real problem."