New laws ban specific pornographic content in England and Wales

The ban, announced in October, went into effect on Friday, November 6th, following pressure from across the political spectrum regarding the potential negative impact on women and girls. Ministers had previously signaled the introduction of these laws earlier in the year.

The new legislation prohibits pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between relatives or those posing as relatives, and adults roleplaying as children under the age of 16.

Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones stated, “This government has a commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. For many people, it is still easy to access harmful pornography online.” She emphasized that the law is not intended to criminalize harmless sexual preferences but to address the potential for pornography to distort perceptions of healthy relationships, particularly among young people.

Violations of the ban constitute criminal offenses, with penalties ranging up to two years’ imprisonment for possessing or publishing pornography depicting strangulation, suffocation, or sexual activity between relatives. The maximum sentence increases to three years for content depicting sexual activity involving someone who appears to be, or is pretending to be, under 16. The Ministry of Justice clarified that the law applies only to depictions of individuals who would reasonably be perceived as real people.

The recommendations for these specific bans originated from a review by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, published in 2025. Bertin described the implementation of the ban as “not a moment too soon,” highlighting the normalization of strangulation in pornography and its potential for real-world consequences. Her report also addressed disturbing role-play scenarios, including incest and adults portraying children. A 2024 study by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation revealed that over a third of adults aged 16 to 34 have reported being strangled or choked during consensual sex, with 43% of sexually active 16 to 17-year-olds reporting similar experiences. Non-fatal strangulation and suffocation were already outlawed under domestic abuse legislation since 2022.

Bertin’s 2025 report criticized the “total absence of government scrutiny” of the pornography industry and called for its eradication from society. She urged individuals to delete existing material and cease sharing it, emphasizing that it is not as harmless as it may seem and is now a criminal offense.