FAQs

Every view increases the popularity of a video or channel. Social media platforms use information about popularity to further promote popular content through ‘recommended content’, resulting in even more views. Popular content is often then monetized - meaning profit for those who create cruel content and providing them with an incentive to create even more of it. Some people who watch and share these videos may be horrified by what they are seeing. Nevertheless, every engagement increases the content’s popularity. We advise seeking as much information as possible before deciding whether or not to press play. Examine the video's still images, examine other videos uploaded by the user, and read the title, description, or comments by other social media users - often this will tell you all you need to know. Be wary of the emerging trend of fake rescue videos. These videos may seem kind and caring, but in fact, animals are purposely put in dangerous situations or sometimes purposely injured so that the filmmakers can appear to the viewers to be rescuing them from the situation or helping them with their injuries. Oftentimes, these animals are infants (macaque babies, kittens, puppies) who may have been removed from their mothers or family groups, as they make easy targets. Again, examine the users' other videos, and if the same animal or type of animal seems to be repeatedly being 'rescued', then do not watch, share, or engage with the video. Report it immediately to the platform. Please see above on how to help.

Yes, this is true - some of this content is quite profitable for both its creator and the platform. This is not always the case, and social media platforms differ. There are users who have made social media their main business. Users can relatively easily monetize their channels through featuring advertising, having over a certain number of subscribers to their channel or by becoming a premium user when content is watched by over a certain number of people. A report by SMAC Coalition member Lady Freethinker found that these horrifying videos could be worth up to $15 million for the content creators who post them and up to $12 million in advertising revenue for YouTube, based on an average profit per 1,000 views taken from a Business Insider survey.

No. SMACC is a coalition of organizations, working to collate data, advise the public and lobby platforms to stop these animal cruelty videos or channels. Member organizations local to the video creators may take action as individual organizations through their regional authorities or expose the perpetrators via their own means (social media pages, websites, petitions). If you have seen a video depicting animal cruelty, please first report the video to the platform and then to SMACC. You can also seek assistance from a local NGO by using our coalition network directory. Supporting animal welfare organizations that are working on these issues in their regions is the best way to end animal suffering.

Of course, no two situations are the same. Some animals are killed or do not survive very long following their abuse. Sadly, many of them are continually abused by their owners, especially in the cases of the pet trade or when the animal is enduring psychological abuse, or in the case of the fake rescue channels where the animal may be repeatedly injured or put in dangerous or harmful situations for the sake of content creation. There have been cases where animals have been confiscated from their abusers by local authorities, however we rarely hear of any legal prosecutions following the confiscations.

Together, we can all help move the situation in the right direction. As a member of the public, you can help stop animal suffering by supporting animal welfare organizations, following our public advice, and reporting animal cruelty content directly to the platforms and on our reporting form. As SMACC, we are working hard behind the scenes to: - collate data and expose the situation to the wider public and the platforms, - provide information and advice to the public on how to help prevent these abusive videos from gaining popularity, - provide global information reference point defining what constitutes animal cruelty online, from the perspective of the animals, - working directly with social media platforms to influence change and to ultimately see these videos being eliminated from the platforms.

It can be tricky to know for sure where animal abuse starts and the fun ends. Animal-related content is really popular on social media. We believe that it is entirely possible to enjoy cruelty-free animal content on social media - without contributing to the popularity of cruelty content. Some content is entirely harmless - for example, videos of subjectively well-cared-for domesticated pets in appropriate environments or footage of wild animals in their natural habitats taken from an appropriate distance. Some content is unquestionably cruel, showing blatant physical violence towards animals. However, much of the cruelty content we see on a regular basis is more ambiguous and requires a viewer to either put themselves in the animal victim’s place or to consider species-specific knowledge about behavior or context. Examples of such content include frightening animals with masks, costumes (or cucumbers!), teasing, withholding food in order to film animals’ reactions, or content featuring monkeys or other wild animals kept as pets - even by “caring” owners. We believe that such examples qualify as animal cruelty because animals are made - intentionally or inadvertently - to suffer for the sake of entertainment. Animals that are repeatedly and intentionally frightened or teased by their owners suffer undue stress, which has both physiological and psychological consequences that can translate into both physical and behavioral issues. Wild animals are generally unsuitable to be kept as pets, with their innate needs difficult or impossible to meet by even the most “caring” owners. We also know that content featuring wild animal pets fuels the demand for even more wild animal pets, causing even more suffering. So next time you see animal content on social media, ask yourself what has happened to the animal in order for the video to be filmed. Are they made to perform unnatural behaviors? Do they seem stressed, distressed, worried, sad, scared? Is it possible that you cannot fully understand the context of what you are seeing? If you answer yes to these questions, then the line between fun and cruelty may have been crossed.

There are instances when a pet may benefit from warm clothing - like when you take your dog on a cold winter walk. However, bear in mind that clothing is unnatural and restrictive and may cause undue stress. Repeatedly dressing your pet up for the sole purpose of making social media content could be seen as cruel. Applying makeup is particularly problematic as it can be ingested or cause skin irritation.

Most animals are born with the fur, feathers, or scales they need to protect them from the environments they are adapted to live in. Dressing your pets in clothes can be problematic, as explained above. Content that shows wild animals dressed in clothing is even more problematic. Such content shows that the animal is being kept in an inappropriate environment without regard for their innate needs. It also creates false impressions about such animals and how they relate to humans. Content featuring clothed pet monkeys, for example, is sadly incredibly popular and profitable. Yet many studies have shown that images of primates dressed in clothing, alongside humans, and in human contexts increase the desirability of primates as pets, and it is widely acknowledged that the primate pet trade is harmful to individual primates, to primate populations, and to people... As a general rule, if you see an animal wearing clothes, be wary. You are most likely seeing harmful content.

We are all familiar with the concept of teasing, and many of us have experienced it, especially as children. We know that teasing can sometimes be funny but can often be hurtful and profoundly damaging, too. It’s important to remember that an animal is unlikely to understand when or why they are being teased. Pets are extremely dependent on their owners, and we cannot explain to them that a potentially cruel act was “just a joke”. Intentionally frightening your pet, teasing them, or putting them into stressful situations can lead to lasting behavioral issues and could even be damaging to their physical health. It’s best to try to truly put yourself in your pet’s place - what can and can’t they understand about the situation? Is what I see as a harmless bit of fun really all that fun for them?

Every view increases the popularity of a video or channel. Social media platforms use information about popularity to further promote popular content through ‘recommended content’, resulting in even more views. Popular content is often then monetized - meaning profit for those who create cruel content and providing them with an incentive to create even more of it. Some people who watch and share these videos may be horrified by what they are seeing. Nevertheless, every engagement increases the content’s popularity. We advise seeking as much information as possible before deciding whether or not to press play. Examine the video's still images, examine other videos uploaded by the user, and read the title, description, or comments by other social media users - often this will tell you all you need to know.

We share the deep frustration that so many people feel when their reports of blatant cruelty online are ignored by social media platforms. However, SMACC is now working directly with Meta (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok, and YouTube and seeking relationships with all other social media platforms. We know through our collaborations that reported content is largely screened by AI and that they are aware that improvements are needed. We’ve also learned that the platforms are constantly searching for patterns, suggesting that continued seemingly fruitless reporting may, in the long run, lead towards the improvements that we need to secure for the sake of the animals. It’s one of the few tools available to the public, and we would like reports to be more effective. We believe that, cumulatively, reporting can be effective in the long run. For example, an analysis of our database from August 2021 to February 2023 showed that 47% of all links reported to the platforms and SMACC were removed by the platforms. This is really encouraging and shows how essential reporting is. It may take days, weeks or even months for content to be finally removed by the platforms, and you most likely won’t be notified once it is no longer available. It is really important to shift our perception of what reporting means and achieves: when you report a video, it will unlikely be taken down from your individual report, but it feeds into a bigger picture and helps see that content eventually removed. At the moment, reporting is the best tool that members of the public have, and we know that even if it’s not perfect, it still has positive results. SMACC and our members will continue to work to see even more content removed. For more information on reporting and how it contributes to change, please visit SMACC's Reporting Matters.