From 6 November, it will be illegal in England and Wales to possess or publish pornographic material that depicts strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between related parties, or adults role‑playing as children under 16. The new rules follow a 2025 review that found choking scenes were common on popular porn sites and had helped normalise the act among young people.
Baroness Gabby Bertin, who chaired the review, said the timing was “not a moment too soon” and that the law would send an “unequivocal signal” to hosting companies and society that extreme and violent content encouraging real‑life harm is unacceptable. She cited an account of a 14‑year‑old boy asking a teacher how to choke girls during sex, warning that imitation could have devastating consequences.
Justice Minister Alex Davies‑Jones noted the move was not about criminalising harmless sexual preferences but about preventing porn from shaping young people’s ideas of healthy relationships. She urged users to delete or stop sharing such material, adding that after 6 November it would be a criminal offence. Each new offence carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment for publication, while possession of images depicting sexual activity involving a person pretending to be under 16 could lead to up to three years’ jail, and possession of images of strangulation or incest could lead to up to two years’ jail.
Durham University law professor Clare McGlynn welcomed the legislation as a turning point, but warned that the effectiveness would depend on how quickly tech platforms and regulators act to remove and mitigate the spread of violating material. She emphasised that the laws aim to transform the online pornographic landscape rather than prosecute individuals.
With the new offences taking effect, users who upload, post or otherwise make such content available online will face criminal liability, while those who merely keep images stored on a phone, computer or in cloud storage could also be prosecuted.
