Choking during sex is becoming “normalized” among young people, a new study warns.
Nearly 60 per cent of Australians under the age of 35 have been strangled or suffocated by a partner during sex, according to a survey of 4,702 people by the Universities of Melbourne and Queensland.
As many as 78 percent of transgender and nonbinary people said they had been choked during sex, along with 61 percent of women and 43 percent of men.
On average, people reported being strangled six times by three partners, and 31 percent of respondents admitted to being strangled for the first time between the ages of 19 and 21.
The research, published Tuesday in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour, found that a growing number of Australians perceive choking as a normal part of sex, with 59 percent of men performing the act with a partner compared to 49 percent of women.
Many respondents said they had not consented to strangulation, said study co-author Professor Heather Douglas of the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Law.
Consent given during an initial sexual encounter was commonly perceived as consent for strangulation to occur in subsequent encounters, the study found.
Professor Douglas said more extreme pornography was increasing pressures, especially on young women, to be adventurous and not “normal” in the bedroom.
Nearly 60 per cent of Australians under 35 have been strangled by their partner during sex, as the act becomes more normalised among young people (stock)
He warned that strangling a person during sex can cause brain injuries, even when the person remains conscious and there are no visible injuries.
“The risks associated with brain injury increase with each subsequent strangulation,” Professor Douglas wrote in the report.
‘It’s a bit like a head injury, in that injuries can accumulate. Miscarriage can also occur from strangulation, which can happen a week or months later. Strangulation can cause a stroke.
‘There may also be a gradual reduction in memory. One of the things we really need to remember about strangulation is that, most of the time, there won’t be a visible injury… and yet it could still be causing harm.’
Researchers said it can take less than 10 seconds for someone to become unconscious during a sexual strangulation and 150 seconds for them to die.
Sexual violence experts launched a campaign and website called Breathless on Tuesday to raise awareness of the risks of rough sex and strangulation.
Young Australians shared their own experiences with the campaign.
Professor Heather Douglas said there was increasing pressure on young people, especially young women, to be unconventional in their sexual lives and be more “adventurous”.
“There are certainly violent practices like strangulation and slapping that are considered common nowadays, especially strangulation. It’s very common,” said Matilda, 18.
“Because that’s what they see in porn, they think, ‘Well, I see rough positions, she must like that. I see choking, she must like that,'” Lana, 22, wrote.
Amy, 19, said: “I’ve been in situations where I feel like I’m actually being murdered.”
Experts say strangulation is a cultural phenomenon that often stems from pornography, then movies and social circles.
Maree Crabbe, project director of It’s Time We Talked, said there had been an “explosion” of harmful sexual behaviour by children and young people towards their peers.
“That’s the tip that tells us very clearly that something is not right,” he said.
‘Pornography – which is a multi-billion dollar global industry – is setting the agenda around how sexuality is viewed and experienced, with hugely damaging effects.’
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