UK to ban porn that depicts strangulation or suffocation

The UK government has announced that possessing or publishing pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation will become a criminal offence

What’s changing

The UK government has announced that possessing or publishing pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation will become a criminal offence. Ministers say the new offence closes a harmful gap: while non-fatal strangulation is already illegal, showing it in online porn has not been prohibited. The policy is framed as a measure to protect women and girls and to curb the normalization of sexual violence.

Why now

An independent review concluded that such content is widespread online and contributes to violent behaviour by presenting choking and suffocation as sexually acceptable. Technology Minister Liz Kendall called the material “vile and dangerous,” arguing that those who post or promote it are fuelling a culture of abuse that has no place in society. The government is positioning the move as part of a broader public-safety agenda rather than a narrowly moral one.

What platforms will have to do

Under the proposal, platforms will be required to take “proactive steps” to prevent users from accessing or sharing this content. In practice, that means tighter moderation systems, better detection and takedown, and more robust access controls for adult sites. The government stresses that failure to act could trigger significant financial penalties—fines of up to £18 million, or 10% of a company’s global revenue, whichever is higher—bringing the regime in line with other high-risk online-safety obligations.

How it links to the Online Safety Act

The measures build on the Online Safety Act introduced in July, which already obliges sites hosting harmful material to carry out age checks and reduce exposure to content linked to pornography, suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Age-assurance can include facial-recognition checks or credit-card verification. The new offence would add a clear criminal backstop for violent sexual content specifically depicting strangulation or suffocation, tightening the net on both creators and distributors.

Support and recourse for victims

The government also plans to extend the time limit for victims of intimate-image abuse to report offences—from six months to three years. Officials say this longer window reflects the reality that many victims need time to process what happened, gather evidence and feel safe coming forward. The change is designed to improve the chances of investigation and prosecution, and to signal that the system will not rush survivors.

What counts—and questions ahead

Officials emphasize that the offence targets depictions of strangulation or suffocation in pornography, not legitimate discussion, news reporting or academic material. As the legislation moves forward, practical questions will remain for regulators and companies: how to define and detect “depicting strangulation or suffocation” at scale, how to handle borderline or simulated content, and how to balance proactive enforcement with privacy and free-expression safeguards. The government’s answer, for now, is stronger duties on platforms backed by steep penalties for non-compliance.

The road to implementation

Next steps include drafting and introducing the legislation, regulatory guidance for platforms, and timelines for enforcement. Once in force, the regime would create direct criminal liability for publishing or possessing the prohibited content and impose enhanced compliance duties on hosting services and apps. Officials argue that the combined approach—criminal law plus platform obligations—will make the UK a more difficult environment for violent sexual material and set a benchmark other jurisdictions can study.