Minimising the Risk Teen Perspectives on Sexual Choking in Pornography

• Published in: M/C journal Vol. 27; no. 4
• Main Authors: Woodley, Giselle, Jaunzems, Kelly
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 07-08-2024
• DOI: 10.5204/mcj.3088
• EISSN: 1441-2616

Introduction and Background Sexual choking / strangulation encompasses a range of practices where pressure is applied to the neck to restrict air or blood flow during a sexual encounter. While choking is most commonly associated with the application of hands around a person’s neck, other limbs or ligatures, such as the forearm or rope, may also be used (Herbenick et al., Frequency 3122; Herbenick et al., Prevalence 1059). This article will predominantly use the term “choking” or “sexual choking” to match teen vernacular and public discourse. These terms, however, may be used interchangeably with other more context-specific terms used in the literature such as “breath play”, “strangulation”, “erotic asphyxiation”, and “sexual asphyxia” (Cardoso 1070; Vilhjálmsdóttir and Forberg 4). Recent studies exploring the prevalence of sexual choking (Sharman et al., Prevalence 1; Herbenick et al,. Prevalence 1068; Vilhjálmsdóttir and Forberg 24) indicate that sexual strangulation is a relatively common practice among young adults, including trans or gender-marginalised populations. In a recent Australian study, researchers found that 57% of participants (aged 18–35 years) reported being sexually strangled (from a sample of 4,702 adult Australians; Sharman et al., Prevalence 1). A US-based study of undergraduate and graduate students also found that choking during sexual encounters was consensual 92.1% of the time (Herbenick et al., Frequency 3130), indicating that choking can be a favoured and consensual activity between sexual partners. However, it is widely acknowledged and agreed upon that there is no adaptation of the practice that is entirely free from risk (Cardoso 1069; Schori et al 291); engaging in any form of the act can have harmful and potentially lethal consequences. The authors acknowledge that the devastating effects of sexual violence (including family and intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault), which strangulation and non-fatal strangulation (NFS) form a part of, are a serious and significant issue (Bennett 167; White et al., 2); however, this article seeks to explore sexual choking practices within consensual contexts, given the rising prevalence of these behaviours. Pornography is often noted as the primary reason for the popularisation of sexual choking throughout modern discourse and existing research (Herbenick et al., Frequency 3135; Sharman et al., Prevalence 1). However, erotic asphyxiation and sexual hanging depictions are documented centuries earlier through renaissance paintings and prehistoric art such as Mayan relics (Tarr 57). In their study of 4,702 Australian adult participants (aged 18–35), Sharman and colleagues found that pornography was the most common way individuals reported first hearing about choking as a sexual activity (34.8%), whereas others discovered the concept via discussions with friends (11.5%; Prevalence 6). Other studies have identified shifts in sexual repertoire, such as choking, that may have been influenced by pornography (Herbenick et al., Diverse 624). However, much of public discourse is focussed on pornography’s influence without causal links. Nominal data taken from the Australian Research Council Project Adolescents’ Perceptions of Harm from Accessing Online Sexual Content which investigated teens' (aged 11–17 years) perceptions of pornography is explored in this article. Teens suggested that young people often mimic acts, such as sexual choking, that are depicted in pornography, and criticised pornography for not displaying safety parameters normally used in the BDSM/kink community. Some teens speculated that sexual choking may be a relatively common occurrence between young people. These teens suggest that there is a need for more accessible education and resources about risky sexual behaviours. This article explores teens’ perspectives of sexual choking through a sexological and public health lens and suggests that a broader harm reduction approach may result in better outcomes than an abstinence-only approach. This article may assist to inform public policy, public health strategies, and educational approaches. ‘Breath Play’ in BDSM/Kink The acronym BDSM stands for ‘bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism’, can refer to a range of meanings and experiences, and often involves consensual power exchange, restraint, or intense sensations (Carlström 404; Lawrence and Love-Crowell 67; Schori et al. 293; Sprott 2). Breath play is an activity some may explore within BDSM/kink, and can include an array of activities that restrict airways or play with breath for sexual arousal (Sharman et al., Strangulation 1; Tomassilli et al., 439). BDSM has become popularised in recent years and is often misrepresented in the media, leading to pathologisation and misunderstanding of the practice (Ortmann and Sprott 34; Shahbaz and Chirinos 21). The BDSM/kink community prioritises safety as part of a “controlled set of practices governed by clear and identifiable cultural standards of behaviour” (Bennett 173). These practices require mutual consent to specific acts and refer to frameworks such as Safe, Sane, and Consensual (SSC), Risk-Aware Consensual Kink (RACK), and “safe words” (Bennet 164; Gewirtz-Meydan 584; Holt 928; Schori et al. 293), where safety is paramount. However, some of the most common injuries within the BDSM/kink community relate to breath play (a.k.a. “choking”; Sprott et al. 1723), including death (Schori et al. 295), and while informed BDSM practitioners are able to practice breath play in more aware and mindful ways, risk can never be fully eliminated (Holt 920; Schori et al. 291). Exploration through kink has been linked to healing and transformation of trauma, contributing to the development of a notion of healthy sexuality (Cascalheira et al. 373; Sprott 2). This exploration may provide a way to confront shame and explore desires and fantasies in a controlled, safe environment, which is compatible with a healthy, normal life (Lawrence and Love-Crowell 69; Gewirtz-Meydan, et al. 584; Sprott 4). Studies warn that in spite of concerns around the growing prevalence of sexual strangulation and choking, stigmatisation of kink-related activities is not conducive to improvements in public health for minority populations (Sharman et al. Prevalence 12; Herbernick et al., Frequency 3135). Shaming those who wish to engage in breath play and sexual choking (kink-shaming) is not advised, particularly given that this article explores that some teens may wish to engage in alternate sexual practices, potentially irrespective of the popularisation of such acts. Teen Perspectives A total of 49 interviews were carried out with 30 Australian teens aged 11–17 years; 30 were carried out in 2021–2022, with a further 19 interviews undertaken with the same teens at least one year later (2023). This research focussed on teen perspectives of pornography, and participants were predominantly recruited through social media. Permission was first sought via a parent who also agreed to an interview, as per the project’s ethics approval, and both parents and teens were given a small gift to thank them for their time. While discussing the impact of pornography, some teens instigated discussions around what they referred to as “choking”. Sexual choking was not the focus of the pornography study, and while the findings discussed were incidental, the organic discussions provide nominal insights into teens’ perspectives of sexual choking behaviours. One big danger with pornography is people start watching it and then they’ll start on the soft porn, and they’ll go from this into the next and that’s how they end up at BDSM. They’ll go to a partner and the partner’s also been watching it, but one of them doesn’t know about ‘aftercare’ [and] how to go and take care of the partner, or any of that sort of stuff, and while it starts well and they’ll have a hoot of a time, they don’t know proper limits, so they don’t know. For instance, if it’s choking, how to actually choke, because [if] you do it wrong, it’s not good. (Miles, 16) Miles illustrates a level of digital sexual literacy and awareness by utilising terms such as “aftercare”, a kink-specific terminology, which involves the checking-in and care of a sexual partner following a sexual encounter or “scene” (Fuentes 3). Miles used podcasts and social media to supplement his sexual knowledge, as he felt schools were not providing sufficient information, as is evident in other studies (Cardoso and Scarcelli 8). While most information sourcing for adults in BDSM and alternative sexual practices is done via self-directed means or social groups (Sprott, et al. 49), further availability of resources in non-formal environments could be useful to teens too. “Third-person media effects” may be evident in Miles’s reflection here, where individuals can perceive media to have a stronger influence on others than themselves (Perloff 357). Miles illustrates these effects while trying to make sense of his and his peers’ experiences. Miles speculates that pornography may inform young people’s sexual scripts, but often lack associated safety information that would normally accompany acts within the kink community. He believed the omission of safety information and relevant frameworks is where the harm lies. Similarly, Warren (17) stated: like if they’re watching hardcore stuff and they’re choking a girl, the girl might actually be getting suffocated by not doing it right, they could hurt the girl, like, a false idea of what it actually is. Warren recognised how the adoption of particular sexual scripts could be harmful when they occur without information to assist individuals to practise in safer ways. Given pornography has been explored as an influence for changes in sexual scripts and potentially contributes to popularising acts such as choking (Wright et al. 1100), these changes could be balanced with more available re