UK BANS ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY DEPICTING STRANGULATION, INCEST FROM NOVEMBER 6
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By ‘Balogun Ibrahim
The United Kingdom government has announced a ban on online pornography depicting strangulation, suffocation and incestuous relationships, with the new rules taking effect on November 6.
Under the legislation, it will be illegal to possess or publish pornographic material showing strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between certain relatives, or adults pretending to be children under the age of 16 in England and Wales.
The new measures follow a 2025 review of pornography regulation, which found that depictions of choking were widespread on popular adult websites and had contributed to normalising the practice among young people.
Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, who led the review, described the announcement as coming “not a moment too soon”.
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Speaking to the Press Association, she said the legal changes would send a clear message to pornography platforms and society that extreme and violent content capable of encouraging real-life harm would no longer be tolerated.
Her independent review, commissioned by the government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, cited an incident involving a 14-year-old boy who reportedly asked a teacher how to choke girls during sexual activity.
The report warned that individuals who imitate such behaviour could face devastating consequences.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday, Bertin said pornography depicting strangulation had significantly contributed to normalising sexual violence.
She expressed hope that the new legislation would help end the trend, adding that it was intended to address inconsistencies between what the law permits online and what is considered acceptable in real-life situations.
Although non-consensual strangulation is already a criminal offence, depicting the act in online pornography has not previously been illegal.
Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which became law in April, were introduced to bring such material within the scope of criminal legislation in England and Wales.
Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones clarified that the legislation was not intended to criminalise harmless sexual preferences.
However, she warned that pornography could influence people’s understanding of healthy relationships, particularly among young people.
According to her, content that normalises or glorifies violence against women could distort perceptions of what is acceptable in real-life relationships.
“If you’ve got this material, delete it. If you’re sharing it, stop,” Davies-Jones said.
“It’s not as harmless as you may think, and after 6 November, it is criminal.”
The new offences carry maximum prison sentences of five years for publishing prohibited material, including uploading, posting or otherwise making it available online.
Possession of such content could also attract criminal penalties, including material stored on mobile phones, computers or cloud storage platforms.
Anyone found possessing images depicting sexual activity involving someone pretending to be under 16 could face up to three years in prison.
Meanwhile, possession of material depicting strangulation, suffocation or penetrative sexual activity between certain relatives could attract a maximum two-year jail term.
The offences will also cover pornography depicting sexual activity between step-relatives or foster-relations where one participant pretends to be under 18.
Professor Clare McGlynn, a law professor at Durham University who has previously warned about the normalisation of sexual violence through widely available extreme pornography, welcomed the full implementation of the legislation.
She described the development as a potential turning point in efforts to tackle the normalisation of sexually violent content in pornography.
However, McGlynn raised concerns about how quickly technology platforms and regulators would respond to remove prohibited material and prevent its further circulation.
She stressed that although the new provisions establish criminal offences, their broader objective should be to transform the online pornography environment through effective action by digital platforms and regulators.
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