Police are investigating reports that a 16-year-old girl may have died as a result of consensual sexual strangulation with her 16-year-old boyfriend. The case is currently under police investigation.
Sexual strangulation, sometimes mistakenly called choking, is reportedly becoming more common among young people. Research has found that physical aggression, including strangulation, was present in 35-45% of scenes in thousands of randomly chosen videos from popular pornographic websites.
Medical experts state there is no safe way to lose oxygen to the brain. Sexual strangulation is now considered the second most common cause for strokes in women under 40 in the UK. It can also lead to seizures, brain damage, memory issues, depression, and anxiety.
An Australian study two years ago found that over half of 4,700 people aged 18 to 35 had engaged in sexual strangulation. A majority of these individuals, 61%, had seen it depicted in pornography.