If you’ve seen porn in recent years, you’ll know it’s grim out there these days. Incest and strangulation are rife, as is coercion, racism, and also sexual violence. It’s front and centre on mainstream porn sites and many social media platforms, pushed by recommendation algorithms on a drive to maximise engagement and profit. It’s a world away from the days when “hardcore” porn meant an erect penis. But we might be on the brink of change.
Last week the long-awaited independent porn review led by the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin was published, marking the biggest review of pornography regulation in more than 40 years. Its findings amount to a clear indictment of what counts as porn today and the inaction of successive governments to do anything to fix it. It was a Labour government which first brought in the extreme porn law in 2009, recognising the need for a step-change in how we regulate pornography. It’s now time for the next great step forward, and it’s one that will be integral to the success of the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.
