Strangulation in Porn to be Illegal

I welcome the Government announcement that depictions of sexual strangulation in mainstream pornography are to be made illegal, responding to the call for change in the Independent Review of Pornography carried out by Baroness Bertin. 

Sexual strangulation is an extremely risky and harmful practice which is increasingly common and prevalent on mainstream pornography websites. The medical evidence is clear that there is no safe way to strangle someone. While I recommend a change in the law, greater education is vital. This is why I was also pleased that my TikTok on the announcement, where I emphasised the serious risk of harm including brain damage, has been viewed 1.3 million times! Glamour magazine has also covered this issue with my comments on how this is not about consent – consent does not protect you from harm. 

I first called for reform of the extreme porn law to more comprehensively include images of strangulation/choking in 2022 during the passage of the Online Safety Bill. I gave oral and written evidence to the Parliamentary Committee reviewing the proposals, recommending change in order to reduce the prevalence of abusive pornography online. While the law was not changed, the Government did establish the Independent Review of Pornography. 

During the review, I assisted Baroness Bertin and the review team in their analysis of the current law and options for reform. In particular, my evidence and research examined the gaps in the current law, and argued that any new law must be comprehensive and not based only on depictions of non-consent. This research has informed the discussions as to the specific nature of the new offence, amongst Baroness Bertin, the Government and organisations campaigning for change including Cease and the End Violence Against Women coalition. 

Further information and reading: 

• Read my comments in this Glamour article on the harms of sexual strangulation, including when there is consent. 

• For a summary of all the research evidence relating to the prevalence of sexual choking, its harms, how it is being fuelled by mainstream pornography and the options for reform, you can read my evidence and summary here (para 7). 

• Read my briefing on the current law relating to strangulation/choking and the options for reforming the law on extreme pornography.

• For a more detailed discussion of pornography and the Online Safety Act, you can read my article with Lorna Woods and Alexandros Antoniou in the Journal of Media Law.