Pornography depicting strangulation and incest to become illegal

CARE welcomes a ban on possessing and publishing pornography depicting strangulation, suffocation and certain incestuous relationships, which will come into force in England and Wales tomorrow, Friday 6 November.

The new offences also cover explicit, realistic images depicting sexual activity involving adults pretending to be children under 16.

Under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, publishing material covered by the offences carries a maximum prison sentence of five years. Possession can carry up to two years for strangulation or incest pornography, and three years for material depicting sexual activity involving someone portrayed as under 16.

The changes follow Baroness Bertin’s independent review into pornography regulation, which highlighted concerns about harmful content shaping sexual behaviour and normalising violence.

She said the announcement came ‘not a moment too soon’.

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones warned that ‘porn can shape what people think a healthy relationship looks like, especially young people."

Content that normalises, or even glorifies, violence against women is dangerous and can blur the line with what is acceptable in real life."

Government guidance says anyone holding material covered by the new offences must permanently delete it or otherwise dispose of it before the law takes effect. Those making it available to others must remove it and stop publication.

CARE has long campaigned for stronger regulation of online pornography, including a specific ban on depictions of strangulation and suffocation. Having supported Baroness Bertin’s work in Parliament, CARE has pressed for these changes to better protect women, children and young people from harm.