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The focus of this special edition of Youth Studies Australia is the future of the sociology of youth; and the questions explored in the articles are outlined in this introductory paper. The authors argue that there are two central challenges of the current moment and the near future. First, the concepts and approaches used have to be shaped to fit a rapidly changing world. Second, youth researchers need to work to cross national and academic borders. The papers in this collection appeal for a reinvigorated sociological imagination of the contemporary worlds of young people, which can work within the nation state, while at the same time tell relational stories that cross these divisions by engaging with new forms of knowledge and approaches to research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the many factors that underpin pornography exposure, and stresses how the risk factors for exposure and problematic sexual behaviours intersect to contribute to harm. An understanding of the complex interplay of factors such as gender, age, attitude, personal characteristics and social context of use is important in the development of strategies that will assist young people to avoid any potential adverse outcomes. The available evidence remains highly incomplete, and its interpretation is highly contested, so the paper highlights the need for longitudinal studies of use and of actual behaviour, and for studies that focus on cultural contexts and emerging media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]