UK bans possession of harmful, incest porn

The United Kingdom has recently criminalised the possession and publication of harmful, incest pornographic images under the Crime and Policing Act 2026. The new offences, which took effect on November 6, include the possession and publication of pornographic images depicting sexual strangulation, penetrative sexual activity between certain family members, and sexual activity involving a person who is, or is pretending to be, under 16.

Offenders can face up to five years in prison for publishing such material and up to two or three years for possession, depending on the nature of the content. The provisions were introduced to address concerns raised in Baroness Bertin’s Independent Pornography Review, which identified forms of pornography that could influence behaviour and attitudes towards sexual relationships, particularly concerning the normalization of harmful practices such as sexual strangulation and incest.

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