Why Sexual Choking Is Not as Safe as You Think: A Call to Action from Sex Researchers and Kink Educators

This is a synthesis of the research area and issues involving sexual choking, followed by calls to action based on the synthesis. We describe the health risks associated with sexual choking, which is often performed as a form of strangulation, along with its growing popularity in at least the Australia, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States. Beginning with a clarification of the often-obfuscated terminology, this paper describes various ways that people are exposed to the practice of sexual choking. Our team identified social media, online pornography, and other popular media as potential drivers of the higher numbers of people reporting engaging in sexual choking compared to older studies. However, there are significant problems with consent and legal issues, including cases where consensual adult choking involving injury or death have resulted in criminal or civil charges in the U.S. This group of researchers, educators, and health experts offers calls to action in specific steps: (1) Widespread education about sexual choking and its risks; (2) Empowering critical evaluation through media and pornography literacy; (3) Organizational engagement in increasing risk awareness; (4) Health education curriculum development; (5) Healthcare provider continuing education; (6) Funding research that addresses sexual choking topics. The goal of this paper is to synthesize the research on this concerning trend in a manner accessible to a diverse array of audiences, and to offer calls to action to address this public health issue for researchers, educators, clinicians, students, kink/BDSM community members, and mainstream persons alike.