The short version
- Possession and publication of pornographic content depicting strangulation, incest, or simulated underage sex will become criminal offenses in England and Wales on November 6.
- The measures stem from a 2025 government review which concluded that such imagery is widespread and contributes to the normalization of sexual violence among young people.
- Penalties include up to five years imprisonment for publishing prohibited material, while possession carries sentences of two to three years depending on the specific content category.
The United Kingdom government has confirmed that new laws banning the possession and publication of specific categories of online pornography will take effect in early November. Starting November 6, it will be illegal in England and Wales to hold or distribute digital media depicting strangulation, suffocation, sexual activity between relatives, or adults role-playing as children under the age of sixteen. This regulatory shift represents a significant expansion of criminal liability for individuals who consume such material, moving beyond previous frameworks that primarily targeted non-consensual physical acts.
The legislative changes are the culmination of a review into pornography regulation conducted in 2025. That inquiry found that depictions of choking were prevalent on major adult entertainment platforms and had contributed to normalizing these behaviors among younger demographics. Baroness Gabby Bertin, a Conservative peer who led the independent review commissioned by the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, stated that the timing of the announcement was appropriate. She emphasized that the new rules send a clear message to both hosting companies and society at large that extreme content encouraging real-world harm is unacceptable.
The review highlighted specific concerns regarding the influence of such imagery on youth behavior. It cited an instance involving a fourteen-year-old boy who asked a teacher how to choke girls during sexual activity, illustrating the potential for imitation. The report warned that individuals replicating these behaviors could face severe consequences. While non-fatal strangulation is already a criminal offense when performed without consent in real life, its depiction in digital media has not previously been illegal. The new amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which became law in April, are designed to close this gap.
Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones clarified that the intent of the legislation is not to criminalize harmless sexual preferences. However, she argued that pornography shapes perceptions of healthy relationships, particularly for young audiences. Content that normalizes or glorifies violence against women can blur the lines regarding what is acceptable in real-life interactions. Davies-Jones urged individuals who currently possess such material to delete it immediately, noting that after November 6, holding these files will constitute a criminal offense regardless of intent.
The penalties for violating these new provisions are substantial. Publishing prohibited content, which includes uploading or making it available online, carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. Possession offenses, defined as keeping images on phones, computers, or cloud storage, carry lighter but still significant sentences. Individuals found with images depicting sexual activity involving someone pretending to be under sixteen could face up to three years in prison. Those possessing material showing strangulation, suffocation, or penetrative sex between certain relatives face a maximum of two years.
The scope of the ban extends to specific familial relationships and age-play scenarios. Pornography depicting sexual acts between step-relatives or foster-relations, where one party is pretending to be under eighteen, will also fall under the new criminal offenses. This broad definition aims to capture a wide range of content that regulators believe contributes to the desensitization of viewers to sexual violence and exploitation.
Legal experts have responded with cautious optimism regarding the potential impact of these laws. Clare McGlynn, a law professor at Durham University who has previously warned about the normalization of sexual violence through extreme content, described the commencement of these laws as a potential turning point. She viewed the legislation as a definitive line in the sand against accepting sexually violent content in pornography. However, she noted that significant questions remain regarding the speed and effectiveness with which tech platforms and regulators will act to remove violating material.
McGlynn emphasized that while these are criminal offenses, the primary goal is not necessarily to prosecute individual users but to transform the online pornographic landscape. This transformation requires active cooperation from platforms and regulatory bodies to mitigate the spread of prohibited content. The success of the initiative will likely depend on how swiftly industry actors adapt to the new legal requirements and how effectively enforcement mechanisms are applied in practice.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- BBC Technology↗Porn showing choking or incest to be banned from early November, government says
