A new amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill under consideration in the UK Parliament could result in the criminalization of consensual choking scenes in pornography, sparking fresh debate over the boundaries of adult entertainment and state regulation.

The proposal, backed by several Conservative MPs including Alicia Kearns, the Tory shadow victims minister, seeks to expand the definition of “extreme pornography” to include “non-fatal strangulation”, a term that in this context refers to consensual acts commonly portrayed in BDSM-themed adult content.

“Porn has helped to glamourise strangulation, which has led to significant numbers of young people being non-consensually choked during sex and girls told this is a normal expectation,” said Kearns, citing concerns from the Independent Pornography Review led by Baroness Gabrielle Bertin.

Baroness Bertin’s report, Creating a Safer World: The Challenge of Regulating Online Pornography, has been widely criticized by free expression advocates for its vague language and sweeping recommendations.

The review proposes a broad ban on consensual adult content deemed “extreme,” encompassing not just choking but also CNC (consensual non-consent), CBT (cock and ball torture), age-play, and other common kinks.

Critics argue that the report fails to acknowledge pornography as adult entertainment, not an instructional guide, and that censoring such content would punish consenting adults and queer, kink-positive creators under the guise of protecting minors.

“While the report claims to focus on ‘extreme’ content, in reality, the terms they’re using are vague, ill-defined, subjective, and broad,” said Mike Stabile, director of public policy at the Free Speech Coalition, in a February statement.

Supporters are framing the proposed choking ban as a response to growing concerns about male violence, especially against women and girls. A recent report from The Times revealed that sex education materials in Wales referenced how to seek consent before choking—a fact that prompted backlash from public officials who found such instruction “deeply concerning.”

“Strangulation should never be normalised,” said Tory MP Harriet Cross. “Pornography blurs the lines between what is and can be consented to, and when this slides into dangerous or even abusive acts, it must be addressed.”

However, many within the adult industry and sexual rights organizations argue that criminalizing portrayals of consensual acts sets a dangerous precedent. They say it not only infringes on artistic and sexual expression but also misdirects attention away from issues like non-consensual content and online abuse, which remain ongoing concerns.

The amendment is set to be discussed during the Crime and Policing Bill’s committee stage, where MPs will debate its inclusion and implications. If passed, it could lead to the removal or banning of a significant portion of content from UK-based platforms or providers operating within the UK legal jurisdiction.

For now, the proposal represents a growing trend toward censorship under the banner of public protection, reigniting long-standing tensions between lawmakers, educators, the adult industry, and civil rights groups.