New BBFC research reveals 1 in 3 adult pornography users exposed to violent or abusive content online in last three months
80% of users support new laws to prevent the publication of violent or abusive pornography online, in line with existing offline regulation
Findings come as BBFC joins first meeting of Independent Pornography Review Taskforce led by Baroness Bertin
BBFC stands ready to take on formal auditing role as recommended in Baroness Bertin’s Review
The BBFC can reveal that 1 in 3 adult pornography users have been exposed to violent or abusive content online in the last three months. In a survey of 2,021 adults who had accessed pornography online, over half (58%) expressed concern about the levels of violence or abuse depicted.
The research provides the most up-to-date insight into the types of violent and abusive content pornography users are exposed to online in the UK. The concerning findings come just four months after the Government published the Independent Pornography Review. The Review, led by Baroness Bertin, recommends parity between how pornography is regulated online and offline.
Offline, the BBFC has had statutory responsibility for classifying pornographic material released on physical formats (such as VHS, DVD and Blu-ray) for 40 years under the Video Recordings Act 1984 (VRA). The BBFC supports adults’ right to choose their own entertainment so long as it is legal and non-harmful. The BBFC will not classify any content that is in breach of the criminal law nor any material that might cause harm – for example by encouraging dangerous emulation or unhealthy fantasies relating to violence, sadism, abuse and non-consensual behaviour. It is a criminal offence under the VRA to distribute a pornographic video work that has not been classified by the BBFC. However, the BBFC has no statutory role online.
The research shows that, in the past three months, users had been exposed to online content depicting physical violence, non-consensual activity, incest, and adults role-playing as children. Such content may cause harm by promoting an interest in sexually abusive relationships or in activity (such as strangulation) that can lead to serious physical harm. As such, it would be refused classification by the BBFC and would therefore be illegal to supply or distribute offline (on DVD or Blu-Ray). Of those exposed to these types of content, users were most concerned (67%) by material depicting adults role-playing as children.
Users most often reported having seen depictions of physical violence (19%), such as strangulation, with 62% of all respondents thinking that depictions of physical violence are normalised in online pornography. 64% of those surveyed agreed that violent or abusive pornography is contributing to the normalisation of violent sexual behaviour in the real world.
Whilst the Online Safety Act requires providers of online services to remove illegal content – such as child sexual abuse material or extreme pornography – it does not address all material that would be refused a BBFC classification for distribution offline. This means that harmful depictions of non-consensual, violent, abusive and degrading activity remain available to UK users.
Despite variation in individual exposure and concern of the respondents, a large majority would back regulation, with 80% of adult users supporting new rules to prevent online platforms from publishing or distributing pornography that depicts violence or abuse and 88% indicating they are in favour of new regulation to verify that all individuals shown are consenting adults.
Today, the BBFC joins the first meeting of the Independent Pornography Review Taskforce. The Taskforce has been established by Baroness Bertin and will bring together politicians, campaigners, police, charities and organisations who are invested in making the online world a safer place. Today’s meeting, chaired by Baroness Bertin and co-hosted by the BBFC, will take the form of a roundtable discussion to which other key figures have been invited to contribute.
During the roundtable, the BBFC will welcome the Government's recent pledge to criminalise pornography depicting strangulation. The BBFC remains fully committed to supporting the Government with the implementation of Baroness Bertin’s recommendations, to ensure parity between online and offline regulation, including by bringing our unparalleled expertise to take on a formal role auditing online pornography.
President of the British Board of Film Classification, Natasha Kaplinsky OBE said: “The BBFC has long been concerned about the increasingly violent and abusive pornography so easily accessible online. Our findings that 1 in 3 adult pornography users have been exposed to such content in the last three months is shocking, but sadly it is not surprising.
“Parity on and offline is paramount and our research suggests that there is broad support among pornography users in the UK for aligning the regulation of online pornography with the standards already applied offline. What’s illegal to distribute offline, should be illegal to distribute online.
“We stand ready to better protect audiences online by taking on the formal role of auditing online pornography as recommended in the Independent Pornography Review, which would be a natural extension of the role we have fulfilled offline for decades.”
Baroness Bertin, Lead Reviewer of the Independent Pornography Review said: “This BBFC research shows a clear path for regulating online pornography. The industry has faced virtually no scrutiny, despite widespread concerns about violence, misogyny, and content involving unclear age of performers or consent.
“The Government’s recent announcement to ban pornographic content depicting strangulation and suffocation is a welcome and significant step. It shows ministers are beginning to listen to growing concern about the harms caused by violent online pornography. But any law change could be ineffective if there isn't a regulatory body that will proactively assess whether standards are being met, and the law is being enforced. The BBFC stepping up to audit content and expedite reports of non compliance is a vital move the Government should back.”
About the BBFC:
The BBFC is the UK’s foremost authority in the regulation of pornography. For 40 years, we have had statutory responsibility for classifying pornographic material released on physical formats (such as VHS, DVD and Blu-ray) under the Video Recordings Act 1984.
Under BBFC guidelines, the following content is unacceptable in pornography:
material that is in breach of the criminal law
material (including dialogue) likely to encourage an interest in sexually abusive activity, which may include adults role-playing as non-adults
the portrayal of sexual activity that involves real or apparent lack of consent. Any form of physical restraint that prevents participants from indicating a withdrawal of consent
the infliction of pain or acts that are likely to cause serious physical harm, whether real or (in a sexual context) simulated. Some allowance may be made for non-abusive, consensual activity
penetration by any object likely to cause physical harm
sexual threats, humiliation or abuse that do not form part of a clearly consenting role-playing game
It is a criminal offence under the Video Recordings Act 1984 to distribute a pornographic video work that has not been classified by the BBFC.
For press enquiries:
Please contact the BBFC press office on +44 (0) 7946 423719 or press@bbfc.co.uk.
Further information and press assets can also be found on the BBFC Media Centre.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) worked with Revealing Reality, a social research company, to design and disseminate a survey aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the online experience of 2,021 adults who had actively chosen to view online pornography in the last three months. The research was conducted across April and May 2025.
The final sample, which aimed for a 50:50 split between male and female pornography users, included 997 women, 1014 men and 10 people who identified as another gender. A spread across other demographic groups naturally fell out, resulting in a spread across age, geographical location, and whether respondents had children (51% of the sample were parents).
This survey aimed to collect data on:
Pornography users’ exposure to violent and abusive pornographic content, and to content which makes them feel concerned or upset
This includes content that respondents may have chosen not to watch, but that appeared in thumbnails, video titles, previews, on social media, or on the homepage of a pornographic website.
Pornography users’ opinions related to the normalisation of violent and abusive content in online pornography and any associated real world impact.
Whether pornography users would support new legislation related to the regulation of violent and abusive pornography and to ensuring that all performers featured in online pornography are consenting adults.
In the survey, the definition of ‘violent or abusive’ was based on the types of pornographic material that the BBFC would not classify in offline pornography on harm grounds. These are:
Depictions of physical violence (e.g., strangulation, choking, or penetration by an object likely to cause physical harm).
Depictions of non-consensual sexual activity (e.g., rape, sexual assault or other non-consensual activity – whether real or simulated).
Depictions of incest between direct family members (not including step-relations).
Adult performers role-playing as children (under-18s) (e.g., through the use of props such as teddy bears, locations such as a child’s bedroom, or the performer behaving in a childlike way).
Key findings include:
35% of adult pornography users reported having been exposed to ‘violent or abusive’ pornography in the last three months
58% reported being concerned about the levels of violence and abuse depicted in online pornography
62% thought that depictions of physical violence are normalised in online pornography
64% agreed that violent or abusive pornography is contributing to the normalisation of violent sexual behaviour in the real world
When asked what types of behaviours they had seen in the last three months, 19% reported having seen depictions of physical violence
Respondents most often reported feeling concerned or upset by adult performers role-playing as children, with 67% of those who had come across this content being concerned or upset by it.
88% of adult pornography users said that they would support new rules to ensure online platforms verify that all individuals shown in content are consenting adults
80% of adult pornography users would support new rules to prevent online platforms from publishing or distributing pornography that depicts violence or abuse
Women were more likely than men to say they had been exposed to, and felt concerned about, violent or abusive behaviour in online pornography, and were also more likely to report being supportive of new regulations.
The Independent Pornography Review Taskforce has been established by Baroness Bertin and will bring together politicians, campaigners, police, charities and organisations who are invested in making the online world a safer place. Today’s meeting, chaired by Baroness Bertin and co-hosted by the BBFC, will take the form of a roundtable discussion to which other key figures have been invited to contribute.
Independent Pornography Review Taskforce members in attendance:
Baroness Bertin, Lead Reviewer of the Independent Pornography Review
Natasha Kaplinsky OBE, British Board of Film Classification
David Austin OBE, British Board of Film Classification
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge
Jess Asato MP
Zoë Billingham CBE, Former HMI Constabulary
Rebecca Hitchen, End Violence Against Women Coalition
Professor Clare McGlynn, Durham University
Tim Cairns, CARE
Gemma Kelly, Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation
Debbie Moss, Barnardo's
Jamie Bale, Beyond Equality
Alex Towers, BT
Marc Allera, Former EE & BT Consumer Division CEO
Marcus Peffers, M&C Saatchi
Additional roundtable attendees contributing to the discussion include:
Mark Brooks OBE, Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys
Joe Lane, Children's Commissioner's Office
Derek Ray-Hill, Internet Watch Foundation
Ian Henderson, The Naked Truth Project
John Carr OBE, Online child safety expert
Bernie Ryan OBE, Institute for Addressing Strangulation
Frances Frost, Lucy Faithfull Foundation
Eleanor Lyons, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner
Sarah Davidge, Women's Aid
A representative from Ofcom
