A Teen Girl’s Death Is Prompting Calls to Ban Choking in Porn
Following the death of a teenager, Australian officials are considering a ban on the depiction of sexual strangulation in pornography. Experts warn that the practice is dangerous and that its normalization in media contributes to public misinformation regarding its safety.
Why it matters
The incident has sparked a global debate on the intersection of media regulation, sexual health education, and the potential harms of mainstreaming dangerous sexual practices.
This latest tragedy, reportedly believed to involve sexual strangulation, comes just months after the UK banned porn showing the practice. But despite all the noise, most people still aren’t aware of just how dangerous the trend is.
Sexual strangulation or “choking” during sex, as it’s referred to colloquially, has become wildly popular—especially among adults aged 18 to 35, despite the risk of severe injury, brain damage, and even death. Some researchers argue that porn is to blame for that normalization, but members of the adult industry say that banning depictions of choking won’t stop this kind of content from flourishing or serve as the kind of sex education and media literacy the public sorely needs.
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