Closed petition Ban online pornography, and the making and selling of pornography

We call for the Government to ban online pornography and the making and selling of pornography. We believe this would help many young men and prevent future generations from becoming addicted to pornography. We believe it has no benefit to society and must be banned.

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We believe pornography is a massive issue affecting young men. Millions of people across the world watch. We believe it can damage mental health and contribute to loneliness, and lead to increased sexual violence.

This petition is closed All petitions run for 6 months

796 signatures

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10,000 signatures required to get a government response

  1. Government responds to petition Pornography and Violence Against Women

    The Government has responded to a public (paper) petition calling for safeguards to be extended to pornography offline to pornography distributed online; and to legally require all pornography websites accessed from the UK to verify the age and permission of every individual featured on their platform – and give performers the right to withdraw their consent at any time to the continued publication of pornography in which they appear. The petition was presented to the House of Commons by Tonia Antoniazzi MP on behalf of residents of the constituency of Gower.

    The following petitions presented in the same terms: Kirsteen Sullivan MP (Bathgate and Linlithgow); Mrs Sharon Hodgson MP (Washington and Gateshead South); Tracy Gilbert MP (Edinburgh North and Leith); Rebecca Paul MP (Reigate); Joani Reid MP (East Kilbride and Strathaven); Jess Asato MP (Lowestoft).

    The petition asks the House of Commons to extend safeguards to be extended to pornography offline to pornography distributed online; and to legally require all pornography websites accessed from the UK to verify the age and permission of every individual featured on their platform – and give performers the right to withdraw their consent at any time to the continued publication of pornography in which they appear.

    In response to the petition's request, the Government states that it understands concerns about pornography and note the independent pornography review found violent pornography is widely available. The review recommends exploring regulation of certain online content and ensuring companies verify performers are 18 plus and consenting adults. Existing laws include the Protection of Children Act 1978, the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 and the Online Safety Act 2023, which strengthens age verification and requires companies to manage illegal and harmful content.

    The Government will ban nudification apps and have created a new offence criminalising non‑consensual intimate images. They will consider whether further changes are needed, informed by the “Freedom from Violence and Abuse” strategy and a new joint team to consider the IPR recommendations and issues raised by the petitions.

    What are public (paper) petitions?

    A public (paper) petition is a petition to the House of Commons presented by an MP.

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