Themes Of Sexual Choking On TikTok

In this post, we’re going to cover a topic that combines two things we’ve previously covered before on the blog: the rise in sexual choking and relationship content on TikTok. Specifically, we’re going to discuss an article recently published in The Journal of Sex Research that analyzes content on TikTok that depicts sexual choking. [1] We’ll look at the researchers’ methodology, explore some of the themes they found, and discuss what the implications are for this kind of content on social media. 

Sexual Choking 

According to Dr. Debby Herbenick, sexual choking has been on the rise over the past 15 years among adolescents and young adults. When discussing sexual choking, it’s important to note that it is a form of strangulation, and there is no guaranteed “safe” way to choke another person. Much of the content that young adults and adolescents are exposed to regarding sexual choking is through sources such as movies, social media, and porn, which seldom depict choking safeguards that are present in the BDSM/kink community. [1] Consequently, it’s important that we consider how sexual choking is typically depicted so that individuals who may be replicating it in real life have a better understanding of the potential risks. 

Choking Content on TikTok

The study we’re diving into analyzed 96 videos that were found under the #chokekink hashtag on two separate days. By looking at videos under this hashtag, the researchers were able to thematically analyze sexual choking content that was most popular among individuals, whether that be entertainment content, educational content, or something else. Overall, the researchers found 11 different themes within the content of these videos, and of these 96 videos, only six were educational in nature. 

Nearly 85% of videos reflected the idea that rough sex is pleasurable, and over 43% of the videos reflected the idea that choking is not rough enough when it comes to having kinky sex. Other themes included the idea that choking is “vanilla” and ideal masculine partners choke. [1] Together, these videos reflect the idea that choking is something that is not just desirable during sex, but is normal to expect from a sexual partner. For adolescents and young adults who are learning about sexual choking from these videos, these videos may make choking seem less dangerous than it really is, as well as add to self-consciousness surrounding a lack of enjoyment from sexual choking. 

The six videos that were educational in nature were subject to further analysis by the research team. Of these videos, all of them contained some form of misinformation about choking, including one video with over three million views at the time of data collection. This misinformation reflected the idea that there are “safe” ways to engage in sexual choking, suggesting that it’s safe to do as long as you adopt a certain hand position, make sure not to block a person’s airway, and ensure that your partner does not become unconscious. However, as previous research has demonstrated, there can be lasting effects to even “light” choking, including neurological damage. [1]

Notably, much of the sexual choking content the researchers analyzed attempted to bypass content restrictions in some way. This was done through tactics such as having a text overlay about choking over unrelated, non-sexual content (such as a video game), as well as engaging in “algospeak,” which is when creators modify words that would otherwise restrict their content, such as saying “seggs” instead of “sex.”

Key Takeaways

This study demonstrates that role that TikTok and other forms of social media can play in  young people’s education when it comes to sexual topics, such as choking during sex. And it points to a number of concerns that are important for parents and policymakers to consider.

For example, much of the content surrounding choking contained misinformation, such as the idea that there are “safe” ways to choke and that choking itself is not rough enough when it comes to kinky sex. In addition, some the videos the researchers analyzed contained graphic content in regard to sexual violence. To this end, young people who are searching for educational information about sexual choking “may instead encounter explicit descriptions and depictions of dating violence” (p. 15). In both of these instances, there is a need for accurate content surrounding kink/BDSM on TikTok, as well as safeguards that prevent violent content from being shown to adolescents and young adults. 

If you have a sex question of your own, record a voicemail at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology to have it answered on the blog or the podcast. 

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for more from the blog or here to listen to the podcast. Follow Sex and Psychology on Facebook, Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), Bluesky, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Image made with Canva.

References

[1] Balle, M., Brandenburg, D., Valdez, D., & Herbenick, D. (2025). Choking on TikTok: Memetic content and CRAAP analysis of educative and entertaining #chokekink videos. The Journal of Sex Research, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2025.2550014