From 6 November, the UK government will make it illegal to possess or publish online pornography that depicts strangulation, incest, or adults role-playing as children under 16. The new rules follow a 2025 review into porn regulation which found depictions of choking were widespread on popular porn sites and had helped normalise the act among young people.
The review, led by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, cited a 14-year-old boy asking a teacher how to choke girls during sex. Bertin said the change in law would “send the unequivocal signal” to companies hosting and facilitating porn, and to wider society, that “extreme and violent content that encourages real-life harm is not acceptable.” She said the announcement came “not a moment too soon.”
Non-fatal strangulation is already an offence if someone does not consent, but its depiction online is currently legal. Amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which became law in April, were intended to criminalise such content in England and Wales. The new offences carry a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment for publication. Possession of images depicting sexual activity involving a person pretending to be under 16 could lead to up to three years in prison, while possession of content depicting strangulation, suffocation, or sexual activity between certain relatives could result in up to two years’ imprisonment.
Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said the legislation was not about “criminalising harmless sexual preferences.” She told the Press Association that “porn can shape what people think a healthy relationship looks like, especially young people.” Davies-Jones added that content which “normalises, or even glorifies” violence against women can “blur the line with what is acceptable in real life.”
“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 government clarified that offences would include uploading, posting, or otherwise making such content available online. Possession could encompass storing images on phones, computers, or cloud storage. The law also covers pornography depicting sex between step or foster relations where one person pretends to be under 18.
Durham University law professor Clare McGlynn, who has previously warned that widely available extreme content normalises sexual violence, welcomed the laws taking full effect. She called this “a potential turning point,” describing the commencement of the laws as drawing a line when society “decided that we were no longer going to accept the normalisation of sexually violent content in pornography.”
However, McGlynn said questions remain about the speed with which tech platforms and regulators will act to remove and reduce the spread of such material. “While these are criminal offences, this is not about prosecuting individuals, but transforming the online pornographic landscape and that requires the platforms and regulator to act,” she said.
The new legislation follows growing concern about the impact of violent sexual content on young people’s perceptions of relationships. The government’s 2025 review found that choking scenes were common on popular porn sites, contributing to the practice becoming more accepted among youth. The law aims to criminalise not just the creation and distribution, but also possession of certain extreme pornographic content.
The penalties reflect the seriousness with which the government treats the issue. Five years’ imprisonment for publishing content depicting strangulation or incest signals a significant tightening of regulation. The inclusion of adults role-playing as minors under 16 addresses concerns about material that blurs the legal lines around age and consent.
The government’s announcement came amid ongoing debates about the regulation of online content and the responsibilities of platforms hosting adult material. The legislation is a follow-up to the Crime and Policing Act amendments passed earlier this year, which sought to close existing loopholes.
The law applies in England and Wales. It remains to be seen how enforcement will proceed and how tech companies will adjust their policies and content moderation practices. The government’s stance is clear: extreme violent content that normalises harm will no longer be tolerated online.
According to Joy Online.
