Online pornography depicting strangulation or incestuous relationships will be banned from early November, the government has announced. From 6 November, it will be illegal to possess or publish porn which shows strangulation or suffocation, depicts sexual activity between people who are related or shows adults role-playing as children under 16. The new rules follow a review into porn regulation in 2025 which found depictions of choking were "rife" on popular porn sites and had helped normalise the act among young people.
Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, who headed the review, said the news came "not a moment too soon". She told the Press Association the change in law would "send the unequivocal signal" to companies that host and facilitate porn, and also to wider society, that "extreme and violent content that encourages real-life harm is not acceptable". Her independent review, commissioned by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government, cited an account of a 14-year-old boy asking a teacher how to choke girls during sex.
It warned that people imitating such behaviour "may face devastating consequences". Non-fatal strangulation is already an offence if someone does not consent - but its depiction online is currently not illegal. Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which became law in April, sought to ensure such content would be captured by the legislation and made criminal offences in England and Wales.
Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said it was not about "criminalising harmless sexual preferences". But she said "porn can shape what people think a healthy relationship looks like, especially young people". Content which "normalises, or even glorifies" violence against women can "blur the line with what is acceptable in real life", she said.
"If you've got this material, delete it. If you're sharing it, stop," Davies-Jones added. "It's not as harmless as you may think, and after 6 November, it is criminal." 'He strangled me without asking' - experts say choking during sex now normal for many The new offences each carry a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment, for publication.
According to the government, this could include uploading, posting or otherwise making the content available to someone online. Possession, meanwhile, could include keeping an image stored on a phone, computer or in cloud storage, the government says. Someone found to be in possession of images depicting sexual activity involving a person pretending to be under 16 could face up to three years' imprisonment, after 6 November.
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