New laws criminalising the possession and publication of certain extreme pornographic images have come into force in England and Wales today, Friday 6 November 2026. A Ministry of Justice circular published today confirms that sections 104, 105, 107 and 137 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 are now in force.

The offences cover three categories of material. The first is pornographic images that explicitly and realistically depict one person strangling or suffocating another. The second covers explicit penetrative sexual activity between people who appear to be related, or are pretending to be related. The third covers sexual activity involving a person who is, or is pretending to be, under 16. The images must appear to a reasonable person to show real people, and government guidance says realistic AI-generated images can also fall within the offences.

Prison terms of up to five years for publishing

Possessing the banned images carries a maximum prison sentence of two years, rising to three years where the material shows sexual activity involving someone who appears to be under 16. Publishing the material carries up to five years in prison. The government has warned that possession includes images stored on a phone, computer or cloud account, and that anyone who already held covered material should have permanently deleted it before today, as continuing to hold it after the law takes effect can be an offence.

The measures follow recommendations from Baroness Bertin's Independent Pornography Review, published in February 2025, which raised concerns about the influence of violent pornography on behaviour and attitudes. Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones has said the government is committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, and the new offences are presented as part of that effort. Tyla reports that the ban applies from today across England and Wales.