The impact of largely unfettered access to online pornography will come under the microscope amid concerns about the exposure of children to violent and extreme adult content.
The age children first see pornography, impacts of early exposure and support available to parents will all be examined.
The NSW inquiry will be the first at a state level following federal probes into age verification for online pornography and gambling.
Restrictions on access will be examined to consider ways of improving them.
NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley said the inquiry would investigate the impact online pornography has on young people.
“A generation of young men are growing up with unprecedented access to the online world and this includes early and easy access to pornography, with harmful depictions of the treatment of women," he said.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Minister Jodie Harrison said it was too easy for young people to access harmful content online.
“We must address the scourge of domestic violence and sexual assault from every angle and importantly that includes the normalisation of misogyny and violence online," she said.
The state's Women's Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin said children, often inadvertently, were being exposed to extreme pornography at a time when they were forming attitudes about gender roles, sex and relationships.
"There is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the impacts this is having on attitudes and behaviour, particularly those of boys and young men," Dr Tonkin said.
Non-profit Collective Shout targets the objectification and sexualisation of girls and its movement director Melinda Tankard Reist told AAP the stories she hears in schools are getting worse by the day.
"Girls as young as 11 and 12, disclosing porn-fuelled, harmful sexual behaviours directed to them ... traumatised girls telling me how boys treat them," she said.
It included threats and demands for nude images and the creation of "deepfake" pornography.
"Schoolboys have become self-appointed porn producers, they're creating deepfake images involving their schoolgirl peers," she said.
Deepfakes and AI-generated pornography will also fall within the inquiry's scope.
National attention on the topic followed the arrest of a teenage boy in Victoria over the manipulation of photos of schoolgirls in June, prompting an assessment of that state's respectful relationships program.
The inquiry will also examine physical, mental and emotional impacts, such as on self-esteem and body image.
A survey for Women's Health Victoria recently found almost a quarter of women aged between 18-24 felt anxious, ashamed or embarrassed about the appearance of their genitals, with the prevalence of pornography a key driver.
"There is evidence that a significant proportion of young people are obtaining information on what ‘normal’ labia look like from porn ... and many porn performers and content creators have also had labial surgery," its report read.
"Eighteen per cent of Gen Zs we surveyed said they obtain their information on what labia 'should look like' from porn."
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
