England and Wales Ban Extreme Pornography Featuring Strangulation Incest and Childlike Actors

From 6 November, England and Wales will make it illegal to possess or publish several categories of extreme pornography that ministers and campaigners say have become too visible, too normalised, and too easy for young people to encounter.

The new offences form part of the Crime and Policing Act 2026. They will cover explicit, realistic pornographic images depicting strangulation or suffocation, penetrative sexual activity between relatives, and sexual activity involving someone portrayed as under 16. The law follows an independent review of pornography regulation led by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, published in February 2025.

The change matters because it does more than add another category to criminal law. It draws a line around material that campaigners have linked to sexual harm, confusion around consent, and the spread of dangerous expectations among young viewers.

The new offences will apply in England and Wales from 6 November.

The new offences target possession and publication

The measures cover both possession and publication of explicit, realistic pornographic images in the listed categories. That means the law is not aimed only at producers or websites. It can also apply to people who keep prohibited material.

The three areas named in the change are:

• Strangulation or suffocation

  Pornographic images that explicitly and realistically depict choking, strangulation, or suffocation.

  
  

• Incest

  Pornographic images depicting penetrative sexual activity between relatives.

  
  

• Childlike portrayal

  Sexual activity involving a person portrayed as under 16, even where the performer is an adult.

  
  

The third category is especially significant because it addresses a gap between actual child sexual abuse material, which is already illegal, and adult pornography that imitates or eroticises childhood. The new offence focuses on portrayal. If the material presents someone as under 16 in a sexual context, it may fall within the ban.

This is not a change to what is morally disliked or frowned upon. It creates criminal offences. The practical result is that people in England and Wales will need to treat these categories as prohibited material, not fringe content that is merely controversial.

The Bertin review pushed the issue into law

The government’s move follows Baroness Bertin’s independent review of pornography regulation. Her review, published in February 2025, looked at how pornography is accessed, regulated, and consumed, with close attention to material that depicts violence and coercion.

One of its stark findings was that choking depictions were “rife” on popular porn sites. The review raised concerns that repeated exposure to such material could shape sexual behaviour, especially among young people still forming ideas about consent, risk, and intimacy.

It cited the case of a 14-year-old boy who asked a teacher how to choke girls during sex. The example has been repeated because it captures the wider fear behind the law: that online pornography does not stay online. It can move into classrooms, relationships, and private behaviour.

Baroness Bertin said the changes came “not a moment too soon”.

That phrase reflects the tone of the review. The concern was not only about individual clips or images. It was about the scale and normalisation of material that presents dangerous acts as routine sexual behaviour.

Why strangulation became a central concern

Strangulation is not just another sexual theme. It carries a clear physical risk. Even when presented as consensual in pornography, it can cause serious injury or death. Campaigners have also warned that normalising choking in porn can blur the line between consent and pressure, especially for inexperienced viewers.

The law’s focus on strangulation and suffocation reflects a wider shift in how policymakers talk about violent sexual content. Instead of treating it as fantasy with no public effect, the Bertin review asked whether repeated exposure can influence what people expect from sex.

That question is hard to measure with precision, but the concern is not abstract. Teachers, parents, youth workers, and sexual violence organisations have reported worries about young people copying what they have seen online, often without understanding risk or consent.

The England and Wales ban extreme pornography measures are designed to make platforms, publishers, and individuals take those risks seriously.

The law targets possession as well as publication of prohibited extreme pornography.

The childlike portrayal offence closes a troubling gap

The ban on sexual activity involving someone portrayed as under 16 is likely to draw close attention. It does not require the performer to be a child. The offence is concerned with the image’s presentation.

That matters because sexualised childlike role-play in adult pornography has long sat in an uncomfortable space. If no actual child is involved, some material may not meet the definition of child abuse imagery. Yet critics argue that it still eroticises childhood and can feed harmful attitudes.

The new offence aims to remove that distinction where the content is explicit, realistic, and presents a person as under 16. In plain terms, adult performers cannot be used to create pornography that imitates child sexual activity.

This part of the law also sends a cultural message. It says that simulated youth is not a harmless styling choice when used in explicit sexual material.

What the change may mean in practice

The Act will affect several groups in different ways.

For pornographic platforms and publishers, the risk is clear. Material in the banned categories will need to be removed or blocked for users in England and Wales. Sites that fail to address such content could face scrutiny, depending on how enforcement is handled.

For individuals, the possession offence is the most direct warning. Saving, downloading, sharing, or storing prohibited images may carry legal consequences. The law is not limited to commercial distribution.

For police and prosecutors, the challenge will be interpretation. Terms such as “realistic” and “portrayed as under 16” will need careful application. Evidence may include the content itself, surrounding context, titles, descriptions, presentation, and how the material was shared.

The new offences will apply in England and Wales. They do not automatically change the law in Scotland or Northern Ireland, which have separate legal systems.

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Anyone concerned about specific material or a possible offence should seek qualified legal guidance.

A clearer line, but not a simple fix

The ban is a significant legal step, but it will not solve every problem linked to online pornography. Enforcement across global websites remains difficult. Content can be hosted abroad, mirrored, renamed, or shared privately.

There is also a wider question about education. Laws can remove some material from lawful circulation, but young people still need clear, age-appropriate teaching about consent, pressure, risk, and what pornography does not show.

Still, the new offences mark a clear judgment by Parliament. Pornography that eroticises strangulation, incest, or childlike presentation will no longer sit at the edges of legality in England and Wales. From 6 November, the line becomes firmer, and the consequences of crossing it become more serious.