Ban on step incest porn and 'barely legal' content in government climbdown

The government will ban so-called "barely legal" pornography of adults role-playing as children and depictions of some step-incest in a further crackdown on harmful online content.

There will also be a review into how pornography sites verify the age and consent of people featured in their videos, which will look at ways to allow people to withdraw previously given consent, Sky News has learnt.

The new measures mean the UK could have some of the strongest regulations of online pornography in the world, MPs told Sky News.

The government initially did not support the changes, leading to threats of a rebellion from female MPs who had been demanding further safeguards in light of a review into online pornography by the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin.

The review found online pornography was insufficiently regulated compared to offline, leading to an explosion of degrading, misogynistic and violent content.

Baroness Bertin tabled several amendments, which were passed in the House of Lords last month, inflicting defeats on the government.

This included a ban on pornography of adults pretending to be children, a ban on step incest pornography, the requirement for sites to verify age and consent and to allow people featuring in the videos to withdraw consent.

The government had argued that some of these would be difficult to enforce, and relationships between adult step relatives were not illegal in real life.

However, MPs told Sky News the government had "lost the plot" if they thought they would "go through the lobby voting to keep step incest porn".

It paved the way for a potential showdown with the amendments due to be back in the Commons for debate next week, as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Sources told Sky News there have been weeks of constructive discussions, with ministers said to have "heard the voice of parliament" and recognised "this was a political and moral issue".

The government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade and campaigners see tackling harmful online content as crucial to that.

Tracy Gilbert, the Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, told Sky News the changes announced on Friday are a "victory for the survivors who have bravely called for these reforms" and "will help to meet" that commitment.

What are the government's amendments?

Measures announced by the Ministry of Justice on Friday include a ban on depictions of sex between step or foster relations where one person is pretending to be under 18, and depictions of any pornography where an adult is role-playing as a child.

It will be illegal for anyone to possess or publish this type of content, with maximum prison sentences of between two and five years.

The government had previously said it would ban depictions of incest in online pornography, while strangulation has already been banned.

Another amendment will mean tech executives could be held personally liable if platforms fail to comply with Ofcom's enforcement decisions to remove people's intimate images that have been shared without consent.

Separately, a list of amendments seen by Sky News shows the government will review how sites verify the age and consent of people featured in pornographic content.

The review, to be completed within 12 months of the legislation passing, will look at how people who do give consent could have an exit mechanism, such as a break clause in their contract, it is understood.

It was felt that a review was necessary to get this right, as it could include new rules around contract law and how that applies in the pornography industry.

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Alongside the review, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall, will be granted regulatory powers to make changes to age verification and consent of people featured in videos, via the Online Safety Act (OSA).

The OSA already requires sites to have robust age verification to prevent children from accessing the content.

Emily Darlington, the Labour MP for Milton Keynes Central, told Sky News the new amendments "will protect women from abuse and be some of the most stringent online pornography amendments in the world".

Jess Asato, the Labour MP for Lowestoft, said: "After many years of campaigning to ensure online pornographic content is subject to the same rules as offline content, I am delighted the government has announced these clear changes to our law.

"Step-incest pornography and that which depicts performers as children is abhorrent.

"Alongside banning strangulation in pornography which the government previously announced, tackling this vile content will make our country a safer place for women and children and shows the UK can lead the world in tackling violence against women and girls."

(c) Sky News 2026: Ban on step incest porn and 'barely legal' content in government climbdown