Pornography that depicts strangulation and incest will be banned from early November, the government has announced. The content will be outlawed from November 6 after cross-party pressure about the negative impact on women and girls led ministers to announce the new laws earlier this year, reports BritPanorama.
This new legislation will make it illegal to possess or publish pornography that shows strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between certain relatives, or adults roleplaying as children under 16.
Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones commented, “This government has a commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. For many people, it is still easy to access harmful pornography online.”
She added, “From November 6, it will be illegal to possess or publish pornography showing strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between certain relatives, or adults roleplaying as children under 16.”
Davies-Jones emphasized that this move is not about criminalising harmless sexual preferences, but rather addressing how pornography can shape perceptions of healthy relationships, particularly among young people. “Content that normalises, or even glorifies, violence against women is dangerous and can blur the line with what is acceptable in real life,” she said.
Baroness Gabby Bertin, a Conservative peer who made the recommendations in her review into pornography regulation, welcomed the timing of the announcement. “Not a moment too soon,” she stated, noting that strangulation in porn has become “totally normalised.”
Her report emphasized the devastating real-world consequences of pornography depicting choking and outlined “disturbing” role-play scenarios that will now be banned.
A study published by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation in 2024 revealed that over a third of adults aged 16 to 34 reported being strangled or choked at least once during consensual sex. Additionally, a survey conducted by the same group found that 43% of sexually active 16 to 17-year-olds had experienced strangulation.
In her February 2025 report, Lady Bertin criticized the lack of government scrutiny over the pornography industry, arguing that strangulation has become pervasive in society and should be eliminated from culture.
While non-fatal strangulation is already a criminal offence, it has not been illegal to depict such acts online. Bertin remarked, “It is very good news these offences will come into force, and not a moment too soon.”
Davies-Jones reinforced the need for better examples of healthy relationships for young people, urging, “If you’ve got this material, delete it. If you’re sharing it, stop. It’s not as harmless as you may think, and after 6 November it is criminal.”
