Asia for Animals (AfA), through its Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC), and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) have announced a new collaboration focused on addressing online animal cruelty content.
This joint effort was sparked by the significant number of online cruelty reports received by both organisations, underscoring the urgent need to raise awareness and provide guidance on this issue—both to the general public and the veterinary community.
A wide variety of animal cruelty can be found online, especially on social media. This includes everything from extreme physical abuse to videos showing inadequate care for animals. Domestic animals like cats and dogs are often the victims, but other species such as primates, reptiles, and birds also suffer in this content.
While responding to, or sharing of animal cruelty may seem a good way to raise awareness, resharing these images can actually support ongoing animal abuse as such content is ‘popularised’. Instead, it is recommended that one follow SMACC’s five steps:
- Be aware: Educate yourself on different forms of cruelty, as some content may appear innocent but involves suffering behind the scenes, like animals being dressed or trained for entertainment
- Do not watch: Avoid viewing animal cruelty videos, as every view helps spread the content more widely.
- Do not engage: Refrain from commenting or reacting, even negatively, since any interaction helps promote the content through social media algorithms.
- Do not share: Sharing, even with the intent to raise awareness, only increases its reach and popularity.
- Report it: Use the platform’s reporting functions to flag the content. Though removal may take time, consistent reporting helps platforms address these violations.
As social media users, it is crucial that individuals take appropriate action to counter such content when they come across it, and have it removed from social platforms. Reporting content to the relevant social media platforms is one of the most important actions you can take.
