Tough new criminal laws banning the possession and publication of specific pornography genres have taken effect across England and Wales today, exposing viewers, collectors and platforms to up to five years’ imprisonment.
Introduced through amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which received Royal Assent on April 29 and became the Crime and Policing Act 2026, the legislation targets acts that British ministers argue have contributed to the normalisation of violence against women and distorted adolescents’ ideas of sexual consent.
The statutory framework outlaws three distinct categories of explicit, realistically depicted material, provided a reasonable person would think those shown are real.
Realistic depictions of strangulation or suffocation, involving neck compression or breath restriction during sexual acts, are banned.
So too is penetrative sex between people a reasonable person would think are close relatives or are pretending to be, including certain step and foster relationships where one person is, or is pretending to be, under 18. The third category covers adult performers acting or explicitly staged as role-playing children under 16 years of age.
Unlike ordinary regulatory platform guidelines, the statute directly criminalises possession, meaning consumers who keep previously downloaded files on hard drives, cloud storage or smartphones commit a criminal offence from today onwards.
Ministry of Justice guidance describes possession as “a continuing act”. Defences include having received an image unsolicited and not keeping it for an unreasonable length of time.
Possessing images depicting strangulation, suffocation or specified incestuous acts carries a maximum custodial sentence of two years, rising to three years for possessing depictions involving performers portrayed as under 16. Anyone publishing, hosting or sharing the prohibited content faces up to five years behind bars.
Looking at the list of uk banned porn and what the hell is a butt drop? pic.twitter.com/cdOUOSHq2A
— Gay Interrupted (@TwinkTheory) October 30, 2026
The statutory shift follows recommendations from the Independent Pornography Review, led by Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin and published in February 2025, which warned that choking had become widespread on mainstream commercial adult tube sites.
It cited the case of a 14-year-old boy who asked a teacher how to choke girls during sex. Bertin has called the change in the law “not a moment too soon”.
“This isn’t about criminalising harmless sexual preferences. But porn can shape what people think a healthy relationship looks like, especially young people,” said junior justice minister Alex Davies-Jones.
“If you’ve got this material, delete it. If you’re sharing it, stop. It’s not as harmless as you may think, and after 6 November it is criminal.”
Women’s safety campaigners, including the End Violence Against Women Coalition, broadly welcomed the criminal ban, urging ministers to ensure it is effectively enforced and to update the Online Safety Act so platforms are required to remove such content.
Civil liberties groups and digital rights advocates have, though, voiced concerns over legal ambiguity and overreach, particularly the subjective “reasonable person” standard applied to scripted roleplay scenarios where both performers are consenting adults.
Critics also warn that sweeping possession offences could lead to selective enforcement and privacy intrusions, while driving adult consumption further toward encrypted, unmoderated overseas networks outside British jurisdiction.
Online, some have contrasted the ban with the continued legality of first-cousin marriage, which is more common in some immigrant communities, particularly among British Pakistanis.
Sex between first cousins is not covered by incest laws in England and Wales. A private member’s bill from Conservative MP Luke Evans would outlaw marriage, civil partnerships and sexual activity between them.
The European Union accused four pornographic platforms on Thursday of allowing children to access adult content in breach of digital rules, putting the companies at risk of large fines. https://t.co/IHS3aXbPOz
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) March 26, 2026
