Pornography depicting strangulation to become criminal offence in the UK

Legal requirement to be placed on tech platforms to prevent users from seeing such ‘choking’ material

Porn featuring strangulation or suffocation – often referred to as “choking” – is due to be criminalised, with a legal requirement placed on tech platforms to prevent UK users from seeing such material.

Possessing or publishing porn featuring choking will become a criminal offence under amendments to the Crime and Policing bill tabled in parliament on Monday.

In a separate amendment, victims of intimate image abuse will also have longer to come forward, with the time limit to prosecute extended from six months to three years.

The government said this would help break down unnecessary barriers victims face when reporting a crime, “improving access to justice for those who need it the most”.