Government to Ban Pornographic Content Featuring Choking and Incest Starting November

The government has announced a ban on online pornography depicting strangulation and incestuous relationships, set to take effect from November 6. This significant legislation aims to curb the presence of alarming content that has become increasingly prevalent on various adult websites.

Starting November, it will be a criminal offense to possess or distribute explicit material that showcases strangulation, suffocation, or sexual interactions between relatives. The law also prohibits adults role-playing as minors under the age of 16.

This decision follows a comprehensive review of pornography regulation conducted in 2025, which revealed that depictions of choking are alarmingly common on mainstream pornographic platforms, potentially normalizing harmful behaviors among young audiences.

Baroness Gabby Bertin, who led the review, emphasized the importance of this legislative shift, stating that it comes “not a moment too soon.” She articulated that the new law serves as a clear message to both content providers and society at large, indicating that “extreme and violent content promoting real-life harm is unacceptable.”

The review included troubling accounts, such as a 14-year-old boy inquiring about choke techniques during sexual encounters, highlighting the potential dangers of imitating such behaviors, which could lead to disastrous consequences.

Although non-fatal strangulation is already penalized when non-consensual, the unfettered depiction of such acts in online pornography had previously gone unregulated. However, amendments made to the Crime and Policing Bill — which received royal assent in April — now classify such content as criminal offenses within England and Wales.

Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones clarified that the intent is not to criminalize harmless sexual interests. However, she pointed out the influence of pornography on the perceptions of healthy relationships, especially among younger individuals. Content that “normalizes or glorifies” violence against women can significantly distort what is deemed acceptable behavior in real life.

Davies-Jones urged individuals to take immediate action: “If you possess this material, delete it. If you share it, stop. It’s not as innocuous as you may think, and after November 6, it will be illegal.”