Government to ban extreme pornography from November

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 00:38 · Archive

Pornography depicting strangulation, incest and adults role-playing as children will become illegal from 6 November.

Pornography depicting strangulation, incest and adults role-playing as children under 16 will become illegal from 6 November, the government has announced. The ban applies to possession and publication of such content in England and Wales.

The move follows an independent review into pornography regulation commissioned by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and completed in 2025. Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, who headed the review, found that depictions of choking were "rife" on popular pornography sites and had helped normalise the act among young people. She cited an account of a 14-year-old boy asking a teacher how to choke girls during sex, and warned that people imitating such behaviour "may face devastating consequences".

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said the government was not criminalising harmless sexual preferences, but that pornography can shape what people think a healthy relationship looks like, especially for young people. "Content that normalises, or even glorifies, violence against women is dangerous and can blur the line with what is acceptable in real life," she said. She added: "If you've got this material, delete it. If you're sharing it, stop." Non-fatal strangulation without consent is already an offence, but its depiction online is currently not illegal.

How it is being reported

• Porn showing choking or incest to be banned from early November, government saysThe move follows a review into pornography regulation in 2025 by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby BertinBBC Technology · 16 Oct, 00:27
• These types of extreme pornography will be banned from NovemberThe content will be outlawed from November 6, the government has announcedThe Independent · 16 Oct, 00:01

In this story: Alex Davies-Jones · Baroness Gabby Bertin · England and Wales

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