How Big Porn made sexual violence mainstream

The Conversation Weekly · Oct 29, 2026 · 22m

Twenty years ago, extreme and violent pornography was largely confined to a niche corner of the internet. Today, depictions of strangulation and sexual violence have become mainstream. So how did porn become so extreme?

In this episode, Clare McGlynn, professor of law at Durham University in the UK, explains how the algorithms and business models of major porn platforms are helping to normalise increasingly violent content. She also discusses its impact on young people’s sexual behaviour, and unpacks new UK laws that target porn depicting strangulation and other forms of sexual violence…