Choking Content: UK’s New Law

UK Moves to Outlaw Choking Content in Online Pornography

The United Kingdom's government is adopting a firm position on a troubling trend within online adult entertainment. Forthcoming plans will render illegal any depiction of strangulation and suffocation in pornography. This major legislative move is a key component of a much broader strategy aimed at tackling violence that affects females. The action signals official recognition at the highest levels of the potential damage this material can cause. It confronts growing anxieties about violent sexual acts becoming normalized. This legal adjustment is intended to disrupt the creation and circulation of content that many argue promotes an atmosphere of aggression and abuse. The government's action is designed to shield individuals, especially the young, from being exposed to and swayed by these hazardous portrayals.

The Alarming Normalisation of Dangerous Acts

A comprehensive investigation brought to light the shocking frequency of choking scenes across mainstream pornography sites. The content was found by the inquiry to be pervasive, a factor that has helped to make the behaviour seem normal, particularly to young people. The conclusions point to a direct correlation between viewing such media and changing perspectives on sexual violence. Experts have issued warnings that repeated viewing can make individuals less sensitive, causing dangerous acts to appear acceptable or even sought-after in intimate situations. This shift has concrete, real-world effects, with reports of people trying to copy these acts, frequently without grasping the significant dangers. The review's findings supplied the essential evidence required to prompt decisive government measures against this damaging online trend.

Criminalising Ownership and Distribution

Under impending amendments being made to the Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament, owning and sharing such material will become a criminal offense. This two-pronged strategy takes aim at the entire supply line, from those who create and circulate the content to individual viewers. The law aims to establish a clear legal disincentive. Any person involved in this content's circulation could be prosecuted, which sends a strong signal about its unacceptability. The objective is to eliminate this particular type of violent pornography from the UK's internet environment. This strong legal structure shows a dedication to holding accountable anyone who profits from or consumes media that presents life-threatening acts as entertainment.

Proactive Removal Mandated for Online Platforms

The proposed legislation will impose stringent new responsibilities on online platforms. They will have a legal obligation to actively identify and eliminate this type of content. Should they neglect this duty, they could face disciplinary proceedings from Ofcom, the nation's media authority. This mandate shifts the burden of responsibility onto the tech companies that host and disseminate user-generated content. It forces them to implement more effective content moderation systems and to be more vigilant in policing their sites. The threat of intervention by Ofcom provides a powerful incentive for these platforms to take their new duties seriously, ensuring that the internet becomes a safer environment for all users.

Elevated to 'Priority Offence' Status

DSIT has confirmed this change will designate choking in adult media as a high-priority issue. This classification falls under the stipulations of the Online Safety Act. The classification raises its status to a category of concern equal to material showing the sexual abuse of children and terrorist-related content. This designation underscores the government's view of the severe harm associated with this content. It ensures that the issue will receive the highest level of attention from law enforcement and regulatory bodies. This prioritisation reflects a deeper understanding of how violent pornography can intersect with and exacerbate real-world abuse and violence, particularly against women.

Official Condemnation of 'Vile and Dangerous' Material

Liz Kendall, the Technology Secretary, remarked that it is not just deeply upsetting to view and distribute this sort of material online; she called it vile and hazardous. She said those who upload or promote such content are fostering an environment of abuse and mistreatment which our society cannot accept. Her strong words highlight the government's moral and ethical justification for the new laws. They serve to frame the issue not merely as a matter of censorship, but as a necessary measure to protect public safety and uphold societal values. Kendall's statement reinforces the message that the digital world is not a lawless space where harmful content can proliferate without consequence.

A History of Insufficient Scrutiny

Baroness Bertin, a Conservative peer, warned earlier in the year about a total failure of government supervision over the adult entertainment sector. Her independent inquiry, released in February, detailed an incident where a boy aged fourteen asked an educator for techniques on choking girls when having sex. The analysis cautioned that individuals who replicate these actions might endure calamitous results. Her work was instrumental in bringing this issue to the forefront of the political agenda and building the momentum needed for legislative change.

The Devastating Real-World Consequences

The independent inquiry from Baroness Bertin cautioned that individuals who imitate the violent acts they see in pornography might endure calamitous results. This warning points to the severe physical and psychological harm that can result from non-consensual or even consensual choking. Medically, strangulation can lead to brain damage, stroke, or death, even when applied for a short period. The review stressed that the glamorous and often unrealistic portrayal of these acts in pornography masks their inherent danger. It highlighted an urgent need for better education and a clear legal message that such behaviour is unacceptable. The government’s proposed legislation directly addresses this concern by seeking to remove the source of this dangerous influence.

A Welcome, but Incomplete, First Step

Speaking on the Today programme, which is broadcast by BBC Radio Four, Baroness Bertin commended the government's action but also stressed that more was required. She communicated that this is just a starting point, highlighting that much violent adult content is still completely legal within the online sphere while being forbidden in the physical world. The government, she urged, should use this action as the foundation for correcting that inconsistency. Her comments serve as a reminder that while the focus on choking is important, it is part of a much larger problem concerning the regulation of violent and degrading content online. The fight to make the internet safer requires a sustained and comprehensive effort.

The Broader Challenge of Online Violence

Baroness Bertin has called for a more holistic approach to tackling violent online content. She argues that the government must continue to build on this initial measure to create a safer digital environment. Her perspective is that the new law, while positive, only addresses one facet of a multi-dimensional problem. There is a need for a wider conversation about the responsibilities of pornography producers and platforms in shaping sexual norms and behaviours. The ultimate goal, she suggests, should be to align the rules governing online content with the legal and ethical standards that apply in the physical world. This would require a fundamental re-evaluation of how online pornography is produced, distributed, and regulated in the UK.

Choking During Sex: A Disturbing Statistic

The scale of this issue was starkly illustrated by a poll that the BBC conducted in 2019. It revealed that 38% of female participants from the ages of 18 to 39 reported that they had experienced choking as an element of a sexual encounter. This statistic provides a troubling insight into how a practice depicted in pornography has crossed over into the real-life sexual experiences of a significant portion of the population. It suggests that for many, particularly young men, choking has become a normalised part of sexual intimacy. Campaigners argue that this trend is directly fuelled by the easy accessibility of violent pornography online. The survey's findings add a sense of urgency to the government's efforts to legislate against such content.

The Destructive Messages Sent to Women

Bernie Ryan, in her role as chief executive for the Institute for Addressing Strangulation, welcomed the government's suggested amendment. She said choking can transmit confusing and deeply damaging ideas to women regarding what is acceptable inside intimate relationships. Ryan's organisation works to raise awareness about the dangers of strangulation and to support victims. She emphasised that the portrayal of choking as a desirable or consensual act in pornography is deeply misleading. It can create pressure on women to accept behaviours that are inherently dangerous and abusive. The new legislation, she hopes, will help to challenge these harmful narratives and promote healthier, more respectful sexual relationships.

Strangulation as a Tool of Control

Bernie Ryan also highlighted the sinister role that strangulation often plays in situations of domestic violence. She characterized strangulation as a severe type of physical assault often employed to frighten, silence, or control a partner. In this context, choking is not a sexual act but a terrifying assertion of power and dominance. It is a tactic used by abusers to intimidate their victims and to demonstrate their capacity for lethal violence. Ryan's comments underscore the importance of understanding the link between pornographic depictions and real-world domestic abuse. By criminalising the content, the government is also taking a stand against the behaviours it promotes.

Countering the Normalisation of Violence

Andrea Simon, who directs the End Violence Against Women Coalition, called the suggested legal amendments a crucial progression. This is a step forward, she said, in the fight against the way violence in digital content is becoming normalized. Simon's organisation has long campaigned for tighter regulations on the adult entertainment sector. She argues that the widespread portrayal of violent acts against women in pornography has a corrosive effect on societal attitudes. It contributes to an environment where such violence is seen as acceptable or even titillating. This legal intervention is seen as a significant victory for campaigners who have worked for years to have these harms officially recognised.

The Myth of Safe Strangulation

Andrea Simon stated that safe strangulation does not exist. This is a critical public health message that campaigners are keen to promote. She explained that women are unable to give consent for the lasting damage it can inflict, which includes memory issues and diminished cognitive abilities. This can result from even brief periods of oxygen deprivation to the brain. The idea that choking can be a safe and consensual part of sex is a dangerous myth propagated by the adult entertainment industry. The new law aims to dismantle this myth by removing the content that promotes it.

Encouraging Hazardous Acts Among Youth

How this content affects young people is a primary concern for campaigners like Andrea Simon. She believes its common portrayal in adult media is fuelling risky behaviours, affecting young people in particular. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to the influence of online pornography as they are often forming their ideas about sex and relationships. When they are constantly exposed to images of violent sex, it can warp their understanding of what constitutes a healthy and respectful intimate encounter. Simon believes that the government's intervention is essential to protect a generation of young people from the harmful influence of this readily available content.

Scepticism from Other Campaigners

However, Fiona Mackenzie, who founded the campaign organization We Can't Consent To This, expressed more doubt about the proposed legislation's potential impact. She argued that regulations already exist to prohibit the depiction of choking in adult content, but these rules are not put into practice. Her comments introduce a note of caution, reminding us that passing a law is only the first step. For it to have any real impact, it must be robustly and consistently enforced by the police and prosecuting authorities.

The Unenforced Laws of the Past

Mackenzie specifically referenced the 2008 Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, an existing law that makes possessing extreme pornography illegal, which includes content showing acts that threaten life. Despite this law being on the statute books for over a decade, Mackenzie argues that it has had little to no impact on the mainstream pornography industry. She claimed that not one of the influential pornographic platforms has ever felt any consequences from current laws. This history of non-enforcement is the primary reason for her scepticism about the new proposals. She questions whether this latest piece of legislation will be any different from the ones that have come before it.

A Long-Standing Problem

She noted that for quite some time, young women have been highlighting how social media normalizes the choking of women, framing it as an expression of passion. Adult websites, Mackenzie noted, reinforce this notion for men, and not one of these websites has ever been affected by the existing legislation. She believes an alteration in either legislation or its application is required. The problem is a long-standing one that has been growing for years, fuelled by the inaction of both tech companies and law enforcement. Mackenzie's perspective underscores the deep-seated nature of the problem and the challenges that lie ahead in trying to solve it.

The Need for Action, Not Just Words

Expressing her skepticism, Mackenzie said she will not be convinced any new legislation will be enforced until she witnesses it happening. Her stance captures the feeling of many campaigners who have seen previous promises of action come to nothing. They are waiting for concrete proof that the government is serious about taking on the powerful pornography industry. The success or failure of this new legislation will ultimately depend on the political will to see it through and to ensure that it is more than just an empty gesture.

Building on Existing Legislation

When the proposal was first announced in June, the government presented the amendment as a reinforcement of current laws. These statutes include the older Obscene Publications Act, which dates back to 1959, as well as the 2008 Criminal Justice and Immigration Act. This suggests that the new law is intended to strengthen and clarify the existing legal framework, rather than starting from scratch. The aim may be to close loopholes or to provide law enforcement with more specific and effective tools to tackle this particular type of content. By explicitly naming choking and suffocation, the forthcoming law will leave no room for ambiguity. It will make it clear to pornography producers, platforms, and users that this specific content is illegal and will not be tolerated.