Research is showing that 43% of sexually active teens in the U.K. have been strangles during sex. Researchers have found the practice of “non-fatal strangulation” (NFS) has been increasingly normalized among young people by “media, pornography, and peer norms”. NFS is never a safe practice, despite a widespread belief it can be performed safely. In addition to accidental death, oxygen deprivation, even for a short period, can change the fragile structure of the brain.
Multiple studies have specifically shown brain changes in women who have been repeatedly “choked” during sex, including markers for brain damage and disruptions in brain hemispheres linked to depression and anxiety.
In an effort to prevent violence against women, Last year, the U.K.’s Ministry of Justice announced in 2025 that pornography depicting strangulation will be made illegal through the Crime and Policing Bill.
