There’s a political push to ban pornography depicting choking. Would this work?
- Written by: Weekend Times
Federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says Australia should “look very seriously” at banning pornography depicting sexual strangulation. NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane has urged the prime minister to ban it, advocating
for laws similar to those in the United Kingdom.
Both politicians were responding to the death of a 16-year-old girl in New South Wales, which police are investigating for links to sexual strangulation.
But would this protect people? Here’s what the evidence says.
Read more: Here’s what you need to know about teens and sexual choking
The dangers of sexual choking
Sexual strangulation, often called choking, involves putting pressure on the neck to restrict air or blood flow during sex. People engage in sexual choking for many reasons.
Some may feel social pressure to engage in it. Other reasons include curiosity, enjoyment of risk, they feel it intensifies orgasm or as part of rough sex. In our research more women (61%) than men (43%) reported being strangled during sex.
It is dangerous. It takes no more pressure than opening a can of drink to cause unconsciousness within seconds and death within minutes.
Even when it doesn’t lead to unconsciousness, it can result in brain injuries that can worsen with each successive strangulation – invisible damage with no safe threshold.
Our research suggests this behaviour is now normalised among young Australians. More than half of 18–35 year olds have been strangled during sex.
More than 60% had seen sexual strangulation depicted in pornography, with about 31% saying they’d seen it on social media.
What are the UK laws?
Similar to Australia, the United Kingdom already has laws regulating the possession, distribution and publication of various types of “extreme pornography”.
These laws cover some depictions of sexual strangulation, such as where it results in unconsciousness or death.
But given how much strangulation pornography exists online without those outcomes, campaigners argued further changes were needed.
In 2025, the UK’s Independent Pornography Review, known as the Bertin Review, looked at the challenge of regulating online pornography. It resulted in new criminal laws that make it illegal in the UK to possess, distribute and publish all strangulation pornography.
The UK Online Safety Act designates it a priority offence. This means internet platforms will be required to take or use proportionate measures to prevent users seeing strangulation content.
While people could be prosecuted, the UK law is targeted at internet platforms. They could be fined up to £18 million (about A$34 milion) if the law is breached.
Once the laws commence, the challenge will be in enforcement.
What about Australia?
Some protections are already in place in Australia to stop young people from seeing depictions of sexual strangulation.
The eSafety Commissioner, via Australia’s Online Safety Act, has powers to direct platforms to take down material and block certain harmful content.
Social media minimum age laws that restrict people under 16 from access to social media may stop some young people from seeing depictions of sexual strangulation. But as social media use remains high among young teens, the impact may be limited.
Age-restricted material codes in Australia aim to help protect children under 18 from harmful and “age-inappropriate” material.
The responsibility on platforms to verify age to uphold these codes has become more stringent. Pornography websites must actively verify that users are at least 18 or older using digital IDs, facial age estimation, or credit card checks. Platforms that fail to comply face high penalties for breach.
Read more: Major porn sites have blocked Australian users to protest new laws. Will kids be better off?
Beyond child-focused protections, the Online Safety Act includes powers to impose civil penalties on people who post or threaten to post intimate images without the consent of the person depicted in the image. Removal notices can be given to internet service providers.
These powers could be expanded to include possessing, posting or distributing images of acts of choking, suffocating or strangling another person, along with removal notices.
This would go some way to reflecting the recommendations of the UK Bertin Review, but enforcing it would be difficult.
So what should Australia do?
Sexual strangulation is now recognised as a complex social issue, and law reform – especially prohibition and criminalisation – is rarely a quick fix in such contexts.
There is a risk young people may be targeted if reform focuses on individual prosecutions, or that young people avoid seeking help or information for fear of it.
Banning can also have chilling effects in the wrong direction. One of the key measures that experts are calling for in response to sexual strangulation is informed public health messaging and appropriate sex education.
As others have identified, online safety approaches that concentrate on removing harmful content have often suppressed health messaging too, as it gets caught by the same community standards filters.
The #fixourfeeds campaign, spearheaded by Chanel Contos, has taken aim social media algorithms that are flooding feeds with harmful and misogynistic content, including depictions of sexual strangulation. She calls for an opt-in model giving users more control over their social media feeds. Such a change may help reduce exposure to sexual strangulation.
The Australian government is planning to introduce a digital duty of care to combat digital harms more broadly. The duty could specify positive outcomes that tech companies must promote, as well as obligations to identify and reduce risks. Such a duty would need to operate alongside strong and well-resourced investigation and enforcement powers.
Tanya Plibersek’s call for a “serious look” at banning strangulation pornography is a starting point, but it should be carefully considered alongside other approaches.
The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.
Heather Douglas receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
