Here’s what you need to know about teens and sexual choking

AlexLinch/Getty The death of a 16-year-old girl in Sydney in recent days has once again raised alarm about how many adolescents may be engaging in choking during sex .

Emergency services were called to a Northern Beaches home late on Sunday afternoon, where the teenager was found unresponsive.

She died in hospital on Tuesday night.

New South Wales police are investigating what led to the girl’s death and have not disclosed the nature of her injuries.

But media reports have called it a case of suspected sexual choking .

Read more: Choking during sex: many young people mistakenly believe it can be done safely, our study shows Strangulation, including sexual choking, is a criminal offence in all Australian states and territories, whether or not the act is consensual.

But there’s a strong body of harm minimisation research on risky behaviours (such as drug use in sex ) that shows criminalisation doesn’t stop people engaging in them, and can actually make situations more deadly.

Legal consequences can make people less likely to seek help when things go wrong, and make health professionals more reluctant to provide support.

So, how can we improve safety for teens? Young people we’ve interviewed in our research have told us what they want and need.

Criminalising choking Sexual choking is when pressure is applied to the neck to restrict air or blood flow during sex.

It’s not a new phenomenon.

Records of sexual choking date back to the 18th century .

Restricting breathing during sex (breath play) has also long been practised by the BDSM and kink community as a way to intensify sensations, or as part of power exchange.

However, sexual choking has gained increasing attention in recent years, particularly in regards to young people.