Survey: 1 in 3 adult content viewers exposed to violent videos
June 24, 2025
Research from the BBFC reveals that one in three adult content viewers have been exposed to violent or abusive content online in the last three months. In a survey of 2,021 adults who had accessed adult content online, over half (58 per cent) expressed concern about the levels of violence or abuse depicted.
The concerning findings come just four months after the Government published a review – led by Baroness Bertin – which 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 says it 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 per cent) by material depicting adults role-playing as children.
Users most often reported having seen depictions of physical violence (19 per cent), such as strangulation, with 62 per cent of all respondents thinking that depictions of physical violence are normalised in online pornography. Some 64 per cent 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 per cent of adult users supporting new rules to prevent online platforms from publishing or distributing pornography that depicts violence or abuse and 88 per cent indicating they are in favour of new regulation to verify that all individuals shown are consenting adults.
Now, the BBFC is joining 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. The meeting will take the form of a roundtable discussion, where the BBFC will welcome the Government’s recent pledge to criminalise pornography depicting strangulation. The BBFC says it 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 its 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 one in three 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, added: “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.”
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