UK to ban porn showing strangulation, incest or under-16 role-play from 6 November

The new offences add prison terms for publishing or holding the banned material, raising pressure on platforms that host porn.

The UK government will make it illegal from 6 November to publish or hold pornographic content that shows strangulation, incestuous sexual activity, or adults pretending to be children under 16, a move aimed at online platforms and others that host porn. The new offences, added through amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, carry up to five years in prison for publication, while possession can bring up to three years for fake-under-16 material and up to two years for strangulation, suffocation, or sexual activity between certain relatives. Ministers say the rules are meant to tackle content that normalises violence and shapes attitudes toward sex, especially among young people. The change follows a 2025 review led by Baroness Gabby Bertin that said choking depictions were widespread on major porn sites and could influence real-world behaviour. Experts welcomed the law taking effect but said the practical test will be how quickly platforms and regulators remove the banned material.