Extreme pornography ban UK comes into force in November
UK government bans depictions of choking, incest and simulated child abuse in pornography from 6 November, following a review that found such content normalises violence.
Key Takeaways
- The extreme pornography ban UK makes it illegal to possess or publish content showing strangulation, incest, or adults role-playing as children under 16 from 6 November
- A 2025 government review found depictions of choking were widespread on porn sites and had normalised the act among young people, including a case where a 14-year-old asked a teacher how to choke girls
- Publishing banned content carries up to five years in prison; possession can mean up to three years for child-simulating material and two years for strangulation or incest depictions
The UK extreme pornography ban UK will take effect on 6 November, making it illegal to possess or publish online content depicting strangulation, incest or adults pretending to be children under 16, according to the government. The ban follows an independent review in 2025 that discovered depictions of choking were widespread on major porn sites and had helped normalise the practice among young people.
The rules amend the Crime and Policing Bill, which became law in April. Non-fatal strangulation without consent is already a criminal offence in everyday life, but showing it in pornography was not previously illegal. The new laws close that gap and create separate criminal offences for three categories of content.
| Ban start date | 6 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Content banned | Strangulation, suffocation, incest, adults role-playing as under-16 |
| Maximum penalty for publishing | Five years imprisonment |
| Maximum penalty for possession (child-simulating) | Three years imprisonment |
| Review commissioned by | Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government in 2025 |
| Review led by | Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin |
Why the extreme pornography ban UK was needed
Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, who headed the government review, based her findings on disturbing evidence about how such content affects behaviour. The review cited an account of a 14-year-old boy asking a teacher how to choke girls during sex, suggesting young people were copying what they saw online.
The review found that depictions of choking were “rife” on popular pornography sites. Experts warned that people imitating such behaviour “may face devastating consequences”, and that the widespread availability of the material was normalising acts that can cause serious physical harm.
Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said the government was not trying to criminalise harmless sexual preferences, but acknowledged that pornography shapes what people believe a healthy relationship looks like, particularly for young people. Content that “normalises, or even glorifies” violence against women can “blur the line with what is acceptable in real life”, she said.
What the extreme pornography ban UK actually covers
From 6 November, three types of content become criminal offences to possess or publish. The first covers any depiction of strangulation or suffocation during sexual activity. The second includes any sexual activity between people who are related by blood or certain familial relationships, including step and foster-relations where one person is role-playing as being under 18.
The third category makes it an offence to possess or publish content showing adults role-playing as children under 16 in any sexual context.
What counts as possession or publication under the ban?
The government defines publication broadly: uploading, posting or making the content available to someone online all count as publishing. Possession means storing an image on a phone, computer or in cloud storage, including cloud backup systems.
Publishing any of these materials carries a maximum prison sentence of five years. Possession has different thresholds: people found with images simulating children under 16 face up to three years imprisonment, while possession of strangulation or incest material carries up to two years.
The gap between law and enforcement
Durham University law professor Clare McGlynn, who has warned about the normalisation of sexual violence through widely available extreme content, welcomed the laws coming into force. She described it as “a potential turning point” and “a line in the sand when we decided that we were no longer going to accept the normalisation of sexually violent content in pornography”.
But McGlynn raised a critical question about implementation. Whilst the offences are now criminal, she said the real work lies not in prosecuting individuals but in transforming the online pornographic landscape. That requires technology platforms and regulators to move quickly to remove and prevent the spread of violating material.
The practical effectiveness of the ban will depend on how fast platforms detect and remove banned content, and whether regulators can compel them to act. That remains the unresolved challenge as the ban enters force.
Original reporting on this extreme pornography ban uk: BBC News.
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Originally reported by BBC News. Facts verified; analysis and wording are Thewealthora’s own.
Sophia Bennett
Executive Editor, World
Sophia Bennett is Executive Editor of Thewealthora's World desk, which covers the stories outside the market pages that eventually end up on them: elections and policy shifts, energy and commodity supply, trade rules, conflict, and the slow events that reprice something months after they happen.
