Australia is seriously considering banning depictions of choking, strangulation and suffocation in pornography following the tragic death of a Sydney teenage girl.
The girl is believed to have had a seizure as a result of asphyxiation after allegedly being choked during consensual sexual intercourse.
She was rushed to hospital but later died. Her death is being investigated by NSW police.
The death of the 16-year-old girl has sparked a nationwide discussion on pornography, social media algorithms and violence against women.
However, the big question remains: how to actually do it when pornography can be downloaded from international websites around the world.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office has now confirmed that the government is considering the idea at the highest level.
The PM is weighing up a ban on strangulation and choking pornography in Australia. Picture: John Appleyard
“The Albanese Government is deeply concerned about young people being exposed to sexual strangulation and other harmful behaviours through online content such as pornography,’’ a spokeswoman told news.com.au.
“That’s why our world-leading online safety laws include strong protections to prevent children from being exposed to age-inappropriate content.
“Under the Age-Restricted Material Codes, online platforms must prevent children being accidentally exposed to harmful or age-restricted material. In addition to introducing age verification, the codes require safeguards like image blurring and also effective reporting mechanisms.”
Teach us consent founder Chanel Contos said the impact of pornography was clear.
“As soon as I read this alleged incident, my initial thought was porn companies have blood on their hands,’’ Ms Contos said.
“This is not the first time, it won’t be the last time that anyone or a young person has been impacted in this way.”
She has urged the Albanese Government to introduce an opt-in feature to give social media users the option to turn off the algorithm and pick what they want to see in their feed.
The NSW Liberal leader, Kellie Sloane, is also calling on the Prime Minister to act, saying the death of the teenage girl has “rocked everyone to their core”.
“Let’s act now, let’s not wait any longer,’’ she said.
“It has the ability to program the young, vulnerable minds of a generation of people whose first sexual experiences are being distorted because of this. Kids at 16, this is shocking. And it’s becoming normalised.”
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said she was working on a strategy with Labor frontbenchers Tanya Plibersek and Annika Wells.
Sexual consent campaigner and author Chanel Contos says porn companies “have blood on their hands”. Picture: Jonathan Ng
“Minister Plibersek and I have been working very closely together over the past months on the second action plan that we both have joint responsibility for both in the child and family violence space,’’ she said.
“So, we are closely considering what is going on in terms of legal developments in other countries.”
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said that a 2024 study suggested that found that 57 per cent of 18 to 35 year olds had experienced strangulation during sex.
“There is something wrong with a situation where 60 per cent of young people say they’ve experienced strangulation,” she told Insiders.
Ms Plibersek said there was “no safe way to strangle someone”.
“This is not sex education. It’s not real life,’’she said.
