UK government announces ban on 'incest simulation' in porn

The UK government has officially announced a ban on 'incest simulation' in porn, as the crackdown on unsafe adult content continues.

An amendment, which was tabled in parliament today (23 February), means it will be an offence to possess or publish pornography depicting incest, or sexual activity between family members.

Much like recent changes under the Online Safety Act, which brought in age restrictions on popular porn sites across the world for UK users and banned strangulation in videos, it has become a priority offence which means that tech platforms are now expected to take steps to actively stop this kind of content, with hefty fines likely to be introduced for those who fail to adhere to the new rules.

Anyone who is found to be in possession of incest pornography could face a maximum sentence of two years in prison, while anyone found to be publishing it could face five years behind bars.

The government will clamp down heavily on anyone found to be possessing or publishing it (Getty Stock)

Victims and tackling VAWG Minister, Alex Davies-Jones, told LADbible: "If we're going to make the online world safe, we need to get comfortable talking about the darker corners of abuse. We know that watching incest porn risks normalising child sexual abuse – and it's a risk we're taking seriously.

"We can't sit on this reality any longer, so we're making it an imprisonable offence to possess or publish incest porn.

"This is one of a string of changes by the government to root out evils online and send a clear message of zero tolerance.

“But tougher laws only matter if victims see justice in time. That’s why alongside these new offences, we’re fixing the courts so cases move faster.”

The government have already made it clear that the punishments for breaking these new rules will be severe, with OFCOM also recently fining one porn site over £1 million for failing to introduce proper age verification measures.

While a complete porn ban is unlikely to ever come to light, especially considering LADbible's 'For F**k's Sake' campaign found that 77 per cent of Gen Z people admit to watching it, the current government are committed to ensuring it is as safe as possible.

This is the latest of several changes to adult content laws made by the UK government (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

When the strangulation ban was first introduced, Davies-Jones told LADbible: "If, for example, X is showcasing this type of pornography that we deem to be unacceptable and illegal now, under the powers that we've introduced today, then Ofcom can go after the platform.

"And if they have proven to have failed to prevent that from being shown on the platform, then there is a fine for them of £18 million or up to 10 percent of global revenue, whichever is bigger; sadly we both know where that is in relation to some of these big platforms.

"Under the Online Safety Act as well, where they've got a failure to prevent this type of material being shown to children, and ensuring there are protections to children, then there are also criminal sanctions backed up, so individuals can be held liable and there are criminal sanctions, with prison sentences available for named individuals who fail to take action.

"If you are in possession of this type of material, you could receive up to two years in prison, and if you choose to distribute this, so share it, post it online, it's up to five years in prison."