The United Kingdom has made it a criminal offence to possess or publish pornography depicting sexual strangulation, incestuous acts or sexual activity involving people portrayed as under the age of 16, with offenders facing up to five years in prison.
The new rules, which took effect on Friday under the Crime and Policing Act 2026, amend the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. They target images showing strangulation or suffocation, penetrative sexual activity between certain family members, and sexual activity involving a person who is, or is pretending to be, under 16.
A Ministry of Justice circular explained that the measures followed concerns raised in Baroness Bertin’s Independent Pornography Review, published in February 2025.
“The Government recognises that pornography depicting strangulation is rife online and evidence suggests strangulation in sex is becoming more commonplace in real life – particularly among young people who may be unaware of the serious harm it can cause,” the circular stated.
On incest-themed material, it said: “We also know that there are concerns that the proliferation of incest-themed pornography can contribute to harmful attitudes, particularly where it risks normalising child sexual abuse which is extremely harmful, and the Government agrees that pornography that mimics child sexual abuse and risks normalising it must be tackled.”
It added: “Recognising the harms that some forms of pornography can have in shaping behaviours offline, we are criminalising the possession and publication of particularly egregious content.”
Possession of material depicting strangulation or penetrative sexual activity between specified relatives carries a maximum two-year sentence. Possession of content involving someone portrayed as under 16 attracts up to three years. Publication of any of the prohibited material can result in up to five years’ imprisonment.
The offences apply only to explicit and realistic images of people who appear to a reasonable person to be real. Specified family relationships include parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts and certain step or foster relations where one person is, or is pretending to be, under 18.
Defences exist for those who had not previously seen the image, received it unsolicited and did not keep it unreasonably long, or who had a legitimate reason for possession or publication.
The offences have been designated priority offences under the Online Safety Act 2023, requiring online platforms to take proactive steps to prevent users in the UK from encountering the material. The government said the measures form part of wider efforts to tackle violence against women and girls.
