Strangulation and incest pornography will be BANNED in England and Wales from 6 November under new criminal law

Possessing or publishing pornography depicting strangulation, suffocation, incestuous sex or adults role-playing as children under 16 will become a criminal offence from 6 November. Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones warned anyone holding such material to delete it immediately, adding: 'After 6 November, it is criminal.' The ban follows cross-party pressure and a 2025 review by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, who found choking content had become 'totally normalised' among young people.

Baroness Bertin's review, commissioned under Rishi Sunak, cited a 14-year-old boy asking a teacher how to choke girls during sex.

More than a third of 16 to 34-year-olds reported being strangled or choked during consensual sex, a 2024 study found; 43% of sexually active 16 to 17-year-olds said the same.

Baroness Bertin called the announcement 'not a moment too soon', saying extreme content that encourages real-life harm sends an 'unequivocal signal' to hosting companies.