All pornography showing strangulation and choking will be banned within months, Labour has announced.
Laws will be brought in to criminalise ‘pornography depicting any act of strangulation’.
It comes amid growing concern over the act being normalised in adult movies, and the effect it is having on young adults’ sex lives.
Legal changes will be made as an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which is currently going through Parliament, meaning the ban is expected to be in force by the end of the year.
Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said: ‘Depicting strangulation during sex is not only dangerous, but also degrading, with real life consequences for women.
‘Cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated.’
A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) source said young people may be unaware of the long-term harm strangulation can have.
Labour will bring in laws to criminalise ‘pornography depicting any act of strangulation’
A law change will be introduced into a Bill currently going through parliament to ban all ‘choking porn’ featuring strangulation
The Government’s Independent Porn Review, led by Baroness Gabby Bertin, found that pornographers had effectively established choking as a ‘sexual norm’.
The review, published in February, said: ‘Non-fatal strangulation pornography (commonly known as ‘choking’ in pornography) should be illegal to possess, distribute, and publish.’
It added: ‘Non-fatal strangulation or “choking” sex is perhaps the starkest example of where online violent pornography has changed “offline” behaviour.
Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones pledged to ban ‘degrading’ and ‘dangerous’ porn which depicts strangulation during sex
‘”Choking” sex is now being normalised with a survey showing 38 per cent of women aged 18-39 have been choked during sex.
‘So-called “choking” content, where there is external pressure on the neck, is rife on platforms that host pornography and is a very popular category of content.
‘The review has evidence to show the influence that media sources, including pornography, have had in establishing choking as a sexual norm.
‘Choking porn’ could be brought under the Obscene Publications Act, a government review has suggested, but full details of how the ban will operate have yet to be announced
An official review found ‘so-called “choking” content, where there is external pressure on the neck, is rife on platforms that host pornography’ and called for it to be banned
‘People acting it out in their sex lives may face devastating consequences.
‘Evidence shows that even a small amount of pressure to the neck can harm the brain, and there is no safe way to strangle a person.’
The MoJ spokesman said they were unable to say how the new law would operate, particularly because a large amount of online pornography is on overseas-based websites.
But Baroness Bertin’s review suggested the Government should amend the Obscene Publications Act 1959 so it ‘captures this type of content, so it cannot be published or distributed’.
Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: ‘We welcome the government’s decision to criminalise the depiction of strangulation in pornography.
So-called choking porn is feared to be having a detrimental effect on young people’s sex lives, and putting people at risk
‘There is no such thing as safe strangulation. Women cannot consent to the long-term harm it can cause, including impaired cognitive functioning and memory.
‘Its widespread portrayal in porn is fuelling dangerous behaviours, particularly among young people.’
She added: ‘This is a vital step towards recognising the role violent pornography plays in shaping attitudes to women and regulating an industry which promotes and profits from violence against women.’
Details of how the ban will work are due to be published at a later date.
