Department for Science, Innovation and Technology written question – answered at on 5 March 2026.
Rebecca Paul
Opposition Assistant Whip (Commons)
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make it her policy that types of pornographic content that it would be illegal to distribute offline, such as scenes depicting incest and scenes of simulated child abuse, are subject to equivalent controls online.
Kanishka Narayan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act (OSA) already places robust duties on online platforms to tackle illegal and harmful pornographic content. Platforms are required to prevent users from encountering such content, and services that host or allow access to pornography must have effective measures, such as age verification, to protect children. In 2025, the government announced that strangulation will be made a priority offence under the OSA, requiring platforms to take swift action against this content.
Following the Independent Pornography Review, a cross-government joint team has been established to inform the government’s approach to pornography policy.
Yes2 people think so
No0 people think not
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