As of Nov. 6, possessing or publishing pornographic images of Addressing Strangulation or suffocation, certain incest role-play and role-play involving people under 16 is a criminal offense in England and Wales, under amendments to the Crime and Policing Act 2026. The aim is to curb violence against women and girls, though some legal experts and creators say the wording is broad enough to sweep in far more content.
The offenses cover three categories of explicit, realistic material, according to Newsweek: depictions of strangulation or suffocation, penetrative sex between people who are or are pretending to be certain relatives, and sexual activity in which someone seems to be, or is posing as, younger than 16. The rules also apply to realistic AI-generated images and to material already downloaded or posted online.
Penalties vary by offense. Possessing strangulation, suffocation or specified incest material carries a maximum of two years in prison, and possessing under-16 role-play carries a maximum of three years, according to Newsweek. Publishing any of the three categories carries up to five years. Possession can include files saved on a phone, computer or cloud account. Defenses include receiving an unsolicited image and not keeping it for an unreasonable period.
The changes follow an independent pornography review led by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin. In that review, she cited "anecdotal evidence" that so-called fauxcest, which depicts sex between family members who are not related by blood, such as stepsiblings, "can be used between an abuser and child to permit interfamily child sex abuse," according to WIRED. The strangulation provision targets choking in porn, which has been linked to fatal choking during sex.
The U.K. government says the goal is prevention. "We're committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade, and that includes preventing harm before it starts," a Ministry of Justice spokesperson told WIRED. "[These] laws aren't about policing people's sexual freedom, they're about cracking down on content that normalizes violence against women, encourages unlawful behavior, and can cause real-world harm."
Critics say the language is too loose. According to Newsweek, the legislation does not precisely define strangulation or suffocation, leaving courts to decide whether individual images fall within the law, and the Ministry of Justice says suffocation can include restricting breathing without pressure on the neck. Myles Jackman, an obscenity lawyer in the U.K., told WIRED the law is written broadly enough that "face-sitting by a vagina owner is now arguably suffocation," and that insertion of a penis "could equally be considered suffocation because it blocks the airways." Jackman said he has no issue with the strangulation ban itself, since its risks are proven.
Creators are already pulling content. IWantClips has published new guidelines for U.K. creators and removed clips that could be caught, with banned categories now including "breast smothering," "jeans facesitting" and "butt drops," according to WIRED. Alexandra Snow, an adult content creator and educator, told WIRED that "we won't know how they're going to interpret it until they start making people's lives hell." Cami Strella, a U.S.-based OnlyFans creator, said banning the content will not help and may push worse material underground. OnlyFans told WIRED it "complies with applicable laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates."
The new offenses apply specifically to England and Wales, according to Newsweek, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate provisions on extreme pornography. WIRED's reporting, which describes the law as a U.K. measure, does not make that distinction. Jackman told WIRED he has heard of lawmakers in Italy, the Netherlands and Spain discussing similar legislation, as well as members of the evangelical lobby in the U.S. [VERIFY: whether Jackman's claim about other countries can be corroborated]
Trans Princess Jezebel, a dominatrix and adult content creator in the U.K., told WIRED she expects a financial hit once the law takes effect. "Where will it end?" she asked.