The UK government has accepted a prohibition on creating adult material that portrays sexual interactions between step-relatives, after members of the House of Lords voted in favor. The change, proposed by Conservative peer Gabby Bertin, incorporates step-incest into restrictions on damaging content. Bertin previously headed an examination of adult industry oversight, released the prior year. This restriction joins others introduced by the government, such as the recent outlawing of videos showing women being strangled. Certain officials initially resisted the proposal, arguing it would be challenging to enforce since English and Welsh law permits consensual adult relationships between step-relatives. After the decision on Friday, Bertin expressed strong support for the government’s initiative to confront dangerous adult content, including incest, step-incest, and imitations of child exploitation. She noted that such widely accessible online material is profoundly damaging, as it promotes the acceptance of child exploitation and dysfunctional family dynamics. Bertin praised the move as a sign of the UK’s leadership in overseeing this risky sector. The proposal passed by a slim margin, with 144 votes for and 143 against. Upon enactment, possessing or distributing adult content depicting incest among relatives, or sexual encounters between step- or foster-relatives where one participant acts as if underage, will become illegal. Penalties for distribution could range from two to five years in prison, based on the material’s gravity. Victims and violence against women minister Alex Davies-Jones highlighted hearing numerous heartbreaking accounts from those affected and stressed the urgency for reform. She emphasized that ending violence against women and girls within ten years requires collective effort, pointing out that offensive online adult content has tangible impacts. Davies-Jones thanked advocates for their contributions to this important progress and stated that the action conveys a firm stance against sexist and injurious online material, fostering a more secure environment. The restrictions align with the government’s plan to introduce a change to the crime and policing legislation, making technology leaders personally responsible if their platforms do not eliminate non-consensual intimate photos, often called revenge porn. Under this provision, high-level tech personnel informed of such unauthorized sexual content on their sites could face substantial fines, jail time, or both if they neglect to remove it without valid reason. Technology secretary Liz Kendall remarked that countless women have suffered severe distress from the unauthorized sharing of their private images online. She affirmed the government’s firm commitment to safeguarding women and girls in digital spaces and detailed steps taken to prevent tech companies from hosting this exploitative material. In February, platforms were directed to delete reported non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours. The new measures escalate this by imposing potential criminal penalties on senior executives if their firms do not comply with regulatory demands from Ofcom. Kendall underscored that ensuring online safety for women and girls is a mandatory duty for all technology firm leaders.
