People in England and Wales could face up to five years in prison for publishing certain types of pornography under new laws coming into effect Friday. The legislation has drawn criticism from free-speech advocates such as the Free Speech Coalition. They say that Britain's left-wing government led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham is bringing politics into private citizens' bedrooms.
Tomorrow's rules make it a criminal offense to possess or publish pornographic images depicting strangulation, suffocation, certain incestuous relationships or adults pretending to be children. The measures form part of the U.K.'s Crime and Policing Act 2026 and also apply to realistic AI-generated images and material already downloaded or posted online. It means people must delete soon-to-be-prohibited content or remove it from publication before the law comes into force.
The U.K.'s Ministry of Justice has identified three categories of pornographic material covered by the new offenses. The first involves explicit and realistic depictions of strangulation or suffocation. This includes scenes in which one person applies pressure to another person's neck or restricts their breathing.
The second covers depictions of penetrative sexual activity between certain relatives, even if the people in such videos are only pretending to be related. This includes close family relationships such as parents and children or siblings, as well as certain stepfamily and foster-family relationships where someone is portrayed as being under 18. The third category covers sexual activity involving at least two people where one appears to be, or is pretending to be, younger than 16.
The restrictions apply to material depicting people who appear to be real, including realistic AI-generated images. They do not amount to a blanket ban on pornography or sexual role-play involving adults. People convicted of possessing pornography depicting strangulation, suffocation or the specified incestuous activity face a maximum prison sentence of two years.
Possessing pornography depicting sexual activity involving someone who appears to be, or is pretending to be, under 16 carries a maximum sentence of three years. Publishing prohibited material carries a maximum sentence of five years across all three categories. Under the legislation, publication includes uploading, posting, sending, sharing or otherwise making images available to another person.
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