Porn showing choking or incest to be banned from early November, government says

Image source, Photothek By Laura Cress Technology reporter Published 16 October 2026, 00:27 BST Online pornography depicting strangulation or incestuous relationships will be banned from early November, the government has announced.

From 6 November, it will be illegal to possess or publish porn which shows strangulation or suffocation, depicts sexual activity between people who are related or shows adults role-playing as children under 16 in England and Wales.

The new rules follow a review into porn regulation in 2025 which found depictions of choking were "rife" on popular porn sites and had helped normalise the act among young people.

Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin, who headed the review, said the news came "not a moment too soon".