New laws to ban depictions of harmful sexual content take effect
Starting Friday, November 6th, certain types of pornography will be illegal in the United Kingdom, following months of cross-party pressure and concerns about the impact on women and girls. The legislation, announced earlier this year, aims to address content accused of normalizing violence and harmful behaviors.
The new laws prohibit the possession or publication of pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between relatives or those pretending to be related, or 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 isn’t intended to criminalize harmless sexual preferences, but rather to combat the potential influence of pornography on perceptions of healthy relationships, particularly among young people.
Violations of the ban will constitute criminal offenses, carrying penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment for offenses involving strangulation, sexual activity between relatives, or penetrative sex. The maximum sentence increases to three years for content depicting sexual activity involving a person appearing to be under 16. The Ministry of Justice clarified that the law applies only to depictions of individuals believed by a reasonable person to be real.
The regulations stem from a 2025 review by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, who described the new laws as arriving “not a moment too soon.” Her report highlighted the normalization of choking in pornography and its potential for real-world consequences, alongside concerns about disturbing role-play scenarios, including incest and adults portraying children. A 2024 study 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.
Baroness Bertin’s report criticized the previous lack of government oversight of the pornography industry. She previously expressed the need to “wipe out” choking from society and believes the new regulations will send a clear message that harmful content is unacceptable.
Source
“All the types of pornography that will be banned from Friday”
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