Pornography

U.K. Bans Possession of Porn Depicting Choking, Suffocation, or Pretend Incest

Violators could face years in prison.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 11.2.2026 12:08 PM

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Americans should really be grateful to the U.K. for so frequently reminding us to value the First Amendment. The latest British contribution comes courtesy of the Crime and Policing Act of 2026, which makes it a crime to publish or possess certain genres of pornographic content.

Violators of the new rules could face two to three years imprisonment. That's a pretty steep punishment for merely possessing porn that features consenting adults engaging in sexual activities or fantasies of which the government disapproves.

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'Face Sitting' Porn Banned?

Specifically, the new law bans imagery that depicts strangulation or suffocation. It also bans porn featuring sexual roleplay involving people pretending to be closely related or "where a reasonable person would think at least one person is, or is pretending to be, under 16."

Some have suggested that the law explicitly bans "BBW face sitting," "breast smother[ing]," and other specific acts, but they appear to be circulating a list of categories that the porn platform iWantClips has said it will suppress to comply with the law.

The law itself does not explicitly define either strangulation or suffocation.

Strangulation "generally means one person applying pressure to another person's neck," stated the Ministry of Justice. "Suffocation will generally mean depriving a person of air in a way that affects their ability to breathe."

Whether a particular act falls under the parameters of the law will be determined in court on a case-by-case basis, the Ministry........

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