(The Lion) — The United Kingdom will criminalize pornographic content depicting strangulation during sex, calling it a dangerous trend contributing to real-world violence against women and girls.

The decision follows the Independent Porn Review led by Baroness Gabby Bertin, which found pornography and other media sources have helped establish strangulation during sex as a “sexual norm” believed to be non-fatal.

However, evidence indicates “there is no safe way to strangle a person,” a release from the Ministry of Justice said.

This new measure is part of the government’s broader “Plan for Change,” which includes a pledge to reduce violence against women and girls.

“Depicting strangulation during sex is not only dangerous, but also degrading, with real life consequences for women,” said Alex Davies-Jones, Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, in the release. “Cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated.”

Advocates supported the move, including Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition.

“We welcome the government’s decision to criminalise the depiction of strangulation in pornography, a move that reflects years of campaigning by EVAW and other experts who have long warned about the normalisation of violence against women and girls in online content,” Simon said in the release.

“There is no such thing as safe strangulation; women cannot consent to the long-term harm it can cause, including impaired cognitive functioning and memory,” she added. “Its widespread portrayal in porn is fuelling dangerous behaviours, particularly among young people.”

The move is a step toward acknowledging how violent pornography shapes public attitudes and props up an industry built on profiting from abuse, Simon argued.

Other comments on social media also lauded the decision.

One X user posted, “Wish we could ban porn totally but this is a good step in the right direction :D.”

Another user wrote, “If its not legal to do it there shouldn’t be pornography depicting it.”

The ban will be implemented through an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, building on laws such as the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, which already prohibit extreme pornographic material.

The full details of the amendment will be published at a later date.