Based on a study by the Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) about the rise in “choking” by teenagers, the BBC reported in July 2026 that 43% of sexually active 16–17-year-olds had been experienced sexual strangulation. It is a popular activity among teenagers, along with images of it. This is largely driven by porn use showing it. New legislation in the UK bans images of strangulation and suffocation. The harms from non-fatal strangulation, such a stroke, have even been covered in a storyline in ITV’s Coronation Street.

The Online Safety Act 2023 has helped reduce children’s easy access to porn on websites sites and social media, but not completely. Education is still necessary.

The term “choking” is often used by young people to mean sexual strangulation. The porn industry calls it “air play” or “breath play” to make it sound less risky. Proper legal consent is not the same as consent to being strangled by a love interest. This lesson helps pupils work through the risks with the help of some video interviews with a neuropsychologist attached to the IFAS, specialising in stroke damage.

As a teacher you may be interested in a free, online, self-paced course about problematic porn use on the Reward Foundation website. It goes into porn’s impact on the adolescent brain in more detail and has a module on safeguarding in schools amongst other useful topics.

Resources:
23-slide Power Point; a 10-page Teacher’s Guide; a 3-page Research Note. There are hotlinks to relevant research and further resources.