Online pornography depicting strangulation or incestuous relationships will be banned from 6 November, the government has announced. It will become illegal to possess or publish porn that shows strangulation or suffocation, depicts sexual activity between related individuals, or features adults role-playing as children under 16.
Context
The new regulations follow a review into porn regulation conducted in 2025, which found that depictions of choking were "rife" on popular porn sites and had contributed to normalizing the act among young people. Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, who led the review, stated that the announcement comes "not a moment too soon." She emphasized that the change in law would send an "unequivocal signal" to companies that host and facilitate porn, as well as to society at large, that "extreme and violent content that encourages real-life harm is not acceptable."
Key Findings
The independent review, commissioned by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government, highlighted alarming accounts, including a 14-year-old boy asking a teacher how to choke girls during sex. It warned that individuals imitating such behavior "may face devastating consequences."
Non-fatal strangulation is already an offense if done without consent, but its depiction online is currently not illegal. Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which became law in April, aimed to ensure that such content would be classified as criminal offenses in England and Wales.
