Online animal cruelty is out of control. It’s time to Report It.
Blog
Every day, animal cruelty is shared online and most of us scroll right past it, or worse, watch it without thinking twice.
Some of it looks harmless. A monkey in baby clothes, a wild animal “rescued” in a dramatic video, or a pet doing something “funny.” But what’s really happening behind the scenes is often far from innocent.
The reality is that many of these videos involve animals being kept in misery, put in danger, or deliberately harmed, all for views, likes and profit.
That’s why we’re supporting Report It! Week (23–30 May), a global awareness campaign led by the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC). It’s a call to action for all of us to stop ignoring this problem and start reporting it.
Animal abuse is being normalised online
The rise in cruelty content is not a niche issue. SMACC received more than 80,000 public reports of online animal abuse last year. Most were from Meta-owned platforms. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg because for every person who reports a video, thousands more see it, like it, share it, or scroll on by.
Social media platforms have guidelines that ban animal abuse, but enforcement is patchy. Harmful content is regularly left up. Accounts that exploit animals can continue posting and making money, even after being reported.
It’s not just the animals who are harmed. These videos also send a dangerous message to viewers, especially younger users, that cruelty is normal, or even funny.
Reporting does make a difference
Platforms aren’t going to fix this unless we force the issue. Reporting might seem small, but it matters. It flags harmful content. It helps build the case for better moderation. And when enough of us act, it hits the people behind this content where it hurts - their reach, their revenue, and their reputation.
Report It! Week is all about encouraging people to take action, and showing platforms that we expect better.
How to get involved
This year’s campaign includes:
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The Report It! Challenge: a video chain where people show themselves reporting a piece of cruelty content and nominate someone else to do the same.
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Shareable resources: graphics, videos and toolkits to help people learn what to look out for and how to take action.
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The official hashtag: #ReportIt2EndIt
Animals shouldn’t suffer for likes. And cruelty has no place on our feeds.
Become part of the community
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