Pornography in Denmark


The first country in the world to legitimize pornography was Denmark in 1967. That year, the country legalized pornographic literature. Subsequently in 1969, it became the first nation in the world to legalize pictorial and audiovisual pornography.
People in Denmark have had free access to it ever since. There still are a few regulations: for example, pornography must be placed out of the eyesight of children, and it may not be sold to persons under the age of 15. The public TV channel Kanal København broadcast hardcore pornography free and uncoded at night, in the early 2000s.
Prior to 2015 there were no specific restrictions against animal pornography and such affairs came under animal cruelty laws. If no harm or pain has been inflicted on the animal, such acts are not illegal. This changed in late April 2015, when Denmark passed a new law, making sex with animals illegal. This lack of legislation has allegedly made Denmark a center for the production of animal pornography. This accusation, however, was dismissed as a myth by Det Dyreetiske Råd, a legal council, which in November 2006 published an extensive report on the topic of animal sex.
Since 1980, child pornography has been illegal in Denmark. It is illegal to distribute photographic or video pornography of persons under the age of 18, although the age of consent in Denmark is 15. It is, however, not illegal to possess images or videos of people above 15 if such persons have given consent.