UK to ban porn showing strangulation, incest or adult-child role-play from 6 November

Centre · 2The government has announced that pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between related people, or adults role-playing as children under 16 will be illegal to possess or publish from 6 November. 1 2 Centre · 2The rules follow a review of pornography regulation, published in February 2025 and led by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, which found depictions of choking were "rife" on popular porn sites and had helped normalise the act among young people. 1 2 Centre · 2Non-fatal strangulation is already an offence if the person does not consent, but showing it online has not been illegal; amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which became law in April, made the depictions criminal offences in England and Wales. 1 2

Centre · 1According to the BBC, publication carries a maximum of five years' imprisonment. Possession of images of someone pretending to be under 16 carries up to three years, and possession of images of strangulation, suffocation or penetrative sex between certain relatives carries up to two years. Porn showing sex between step or foster relations where one person is pretending to be under 18 is also covered. 1 Centre · 1The government says publishing could include uploading or posting content or otherwise making it available online, and possession could include an image stored on a phone, computer or cloud storage. 1 Centre · 2Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said the law is not about "criminalising harmless sexual preferences", but that porn can shape young people's ideas of healthy relationships and content that normalises or glorifies violence against women can blur the line with what is acceptable in real life. She urged anyone with the material to delete it and anyone sharing it to stop. 1 2

Centre · 2Baroness Bertin said the change came "not a moment too soon" and would send an "unequivocal signal" to companies that host and facilitate porn, and to wider society, that extreme and violent content encouraging real-life harm is not acceptable. 1 2 Centre · 1The Evening Standard cites surveys by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation: a 2024 study found more than a third of 16 to 34-year-olds had been strangled or choked at least once during consensual sex, and a survey last year found 43% of sexually active 16 to 17-year-olds said they had been subjected to it. 2 Centre · 2Campaigners welcomed the change but said enforcement is the test. Durham University's Prof Clare McGlynn called it a "potential turning point" but said the aim is to transform the online pornographic landscape, which needs platforms and the regulator to act. The End Violence Against Women Coalition urged ministers to ensure enforcement and to update the Online Safety Act so platforms must remove the content. 1 2