Possessing or publishing pornography that depicts strangulation, suffocation, incest or adults pretending to be children will become a criminal offence in England and Wales from 6 November, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.
Guidance published on gov.uk sets the date for the three offences, which were created by the Crime and Policing Act 2026, and tells anyone who already holds such material to delete it before then. Anyone who has published it is told to remove it and stop making it available.
The announcement turns a policy first promised in 2025 into a fixed deadline. The offences have been on the statute book since the Act received Royal Assent in April, but until now the government had said only that they would take effect before the winter.
The guidance says the law will cover pornographic images that "explicitly and realistically" depict strangulation or suffocation; penetrative sex between people who "a reasonable person would think are related, or pretending to be related, in a certain way"; and sexual activity where "a reasonable person would think at least one person is, or is pretending to be, under 16".
The incest offence extends to "certain step and foster relationships where one person is, or is pretending to be, under 18". The Ministry of Justice says the offences "only capture pornography that shows people which appear, to a reasonable person, to be real".
Possession of strangulation or incest pornography will carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison, according to the guidance. Possession of material showing adults roleplaying as children under 16 will carry a maximum of three years. A government press release issued when the incest and roleplay amendments were tabled in April said publication of either would carry a maximum of five years.
Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said: "This Government has a commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. For many people, it is still easy to access harmful pornography online.
"From November 6, it will be illegal to possess or publish pornography showing strangulation or suffocation, sexual activity between certain relatives, or adults roleplaying as children under 16.
"This isn't about criminalising harmless sexual preferences. But porn can shape what people think a healthy relationship looks like, especially young people.
"Content that normalises, or even glorifies, violence against women is dangerous and can blur the line with what is acceptable in real life."
The offences implement recommendations from the Independent Pornography Review led by the Conservative peer Baroness Bertin, which was commissioned under Rishi Sunak and published in February 2025 with 32 recommendations. Lady Bertin told the Press Association the news came "not a moment too soon". She has previously said strangulation in pornography had become "totally normalised".
Janaya Walker, interim director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, described the move as "an important step towards tackling the normalisation of violence against women and girls".
The new offences sit alongside the existing law on extreme pornography, which has criminalised possession of certain violent and degrading images since January 2009. Non-fatal strangulation has been a standalone offence since the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
The government has also said depictions of strangulation in pornography will be designated a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, placing duties on platforms as well as individuals. A factsheet published by the Ministry of Justice last month says the Act also requires ministers to report to Parliament within 12 months of Royal Assent on how internet platforms verify the age and consent of people appearing in pornographic content.
The guidance applies to England and Wales only. Scotland has its own law on extreme pornography, while Northern Ireland is covered by the existing 2008 offence.
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