UK bans pornographic images of strangulation and suffocation from November 6
Lawyers warn the wording is broad enough to reach ordinary adult content, and fear automated tools will over-flag legal material.
From November 6, amendments to the UK Crime and Policing Act will make it an offence to possess or publish pornographic images of strangulation or suffocation, alongside bans on fauxcest and on role-play depicting minors under 16, with up to five years in prison and a fine as the penalty. The measures stem from a review by Baroness Gabby Bertin, who cited anecdotal evidence that fauxcest can be used to groom children. Some lawyers and creators warn the wording is broad enough to reach ordinary adult content such as face-sitting and even oral sex, and fear that AI image-recognition tools will over-flag material. The Ministry of Justice says the aim is to reduce violence against women and girls, not to police sexual expression. Authorities say a 16-year-old Australian girl lost consciousness during consensual choking in August, and Bertin has since pressed for action on such depictions.
Why it matters
The offence covers possession as well as publication, so viewers and creators alike now face up to five years in prison and a fine for the banned categories. Because the wording is broad, people who make or watch lawful adult material cannot be sure which content falls inside it until the courts interpret the amendments. The Ministry of Justice says the aim is to reduce violence against women and girls rather than police sexual expression, and the scope of that aim will be tested in practice.
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