United Kingdom

UK to Ban Strangulation and Incest Porn From Nov. 6

Is this vital to curb violence against women or is it state overreach into private adult choices?

5 hours ago·Updated 1 hour ago

UK to Ban Strangulation and Incest Porn From Nov. 6

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Above: Stock image showing hands using a computer keyboard. Image credit: Imen Ben Youssef/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

Pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, sex between people who are related or pretending to be and adults posing as children under 16 will be illegal from Nov. 6, 2026, the U.K. government announced on Friday.
UK legislation
BBC News
The Standard
Publishing banned material carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Possessing images of a person pretending to be under 16, meanwhile, could bring up to three years in prison, while possessing images of strangulation or incest carries a penalty of up to two years.
GOV.UK
The government introduced the offenses through amendments to the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which received Royal Assent in April. The commencement regulations also implement provisions regarding child abduction.
UK legislation
UK Parliament
In addition, the government will list the content as priority offenses under the Online Safety Act 2023, requiring platforms to take "proactive and proportionate steps" to remove it from their services. Those that fail to comply could face Ofcom-imposed fines of up to £18 million or 10% of worldwide revenue.
GOV.UK
GOV.UK
It follows an independent review published in February 2025 by the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin, which concluded that porn typically considered "beyond the pale" in physical media "is not just permitted but is rife and heavily promoted online."
GOV.UK
A 2024 study by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation found that more than a third of adults aged 16 to 34 had been strangled or choked at least once during consensual sex, and a later survey found that 43% of sexually active 16- and 17-year-olds had as well.
Institute for Addressing Strangulation
Institute for Addressing Strangulation

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The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Content that eroticizes choking and incest inflicts real-world harm, teaching boys that violence and abuse are just normal sex. Banning such material is essential if the U.K. is to tackle the epidemic of violence against women and girls by cutting off the pipeline that sells harm as pleasure and breeds misogyny.

GOV.UK

Government-critical narrative

The government's ban is a dangerous example of overreach. Adults should be allowed to decide what to watch in private, and consensual adult content counts as protected expression. Criminalizing legal pornography over moral discomfort will only drive sexual interests underground and distract from fighting real abuse.