London: The UK will ban three categories of extreme pornography from November 6, making it illegal to possess or publish material depicting strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between certain relatives, and adults pretending to be children under 16.
The measures, introduced under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, follow cross-party pressure over concerns about the effects of harmful pornography on women and girls. The government says the restrictions aim to prevent content that could normalize violence and abusive sexual behavior.
Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones stated that the government was committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade. The minister also warned that harmful pornography remained easily accessible online and could influence how young people understand healthy relationships.
“This isn’t about criminalising harmless sexual preferences,” Davies-Jones stated, adding that content which normalizes or glorifies violence against women could blur perceptions of what is acceptable in real life.
The new offences cover explicit and realistic pornographic images depicting strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between people who are related or pretending to be related, and sexual activity involving someone who is or appears to be under 16.
The legislation also covers certain stepfamily and foster-family scenarios. Research has raised concerns about strangulation during consensual sexual activity.
A 2024 study by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation found that more than a third of adults aged 16 to 34 surveyed reported having been strangled or choked at least once during consensual sex. A separate survey found that 43 percent of sexually active 16- and 17-year-olds surveyed had experienced it.
The government says the restrictions form part of broader efforts to tackle violence against women and girls and protect children from sexual abuse. The new rules will criminalize possession and publication of the specified material when they take effect on November 6.
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