These types of extreme pornography will be banned from November
Pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between certain relatives, or adults role-playing as children under 16 will be illegal to possess or publish in the UK from 6 November. Ministers say the change is intended to curb harmful material that may shape ideas about relationships, particularly among young people, and forms part of the government’s commitment to reduce violence against women and girls.
The measures follow recommendations made by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin in a 2025 review of pornography regulation. A 2024 study found more than a third of adults aged 16 to 34 had reported being strangled or choked during consensual sex; a later survey found 43% of sexually active 16- and 17-year-olds said it had happened to them. Non-fatal strangulation is already an offence, but showing it online was not previously illegal.
- Extreme pornography offences begin on 6 November.
- The ban covers choking, certain incest depictions and child role-play.
- The change follows a 2025 review and concerns about real-world harm.
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UK law already makes non-fatal strangulation a crime, but showing it in pornography has not been illegal. The rules are part of wider government efforts to address violence against women and girls and concerns about how online material may influence views of relationships.
The changes follow recommendations from Baroness Gabby Bertin, who reviewed pornography regulation in 2025. Studies have reported that choking during consensual sex is common among some adults and teenagers, though the new restrictions also cover material depicting sex between certain relatives and adults pretending to be children under 16.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters argue that banning possession and publication of this material can reduce the normalisation of strangulation and other harmful sexual behaviour, especially among young people, and close a gap between criminalising the act and allowing its depiction in pornography. They see the measure as a proportionate part of efforts to prevent violence against women and girls and to protect children from sexualised material.
The case against
Critics may argue that criminalising possession as well as publication risks restricting adult access to fictional or consensually produced material without clear evidence that a ban will reduce real-world harm. They may favour narrower rules focused on coercion, abuse or access by children, alongside education and enforcement, to protect free expression and avoid treating depictions as equivalent to the acts they portray.