The RSPCA says it has seen a sharp rise in reports of animal cruelty on social media.
They charity saw 133 incidents reported between January and May this year – an 27% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The figures form part of the Summer Cruelty Campaign, warning the public about abuse against animals, particularly during the warmer months.
The RSPCA says it receives around 25 reports of cruelty on social platforms every month, with more than 2,600 incidents reported over the past six years.
Facebook was the worst platform, with 1,526 cruelty reports, followed by Instagram with 499 and TikTok with 221.
This comes after the introduction of the Online Safety Act 2023, which aims to tackle harmful content, including animal abuse, on social media. Since 17 March this year, regulator Ofcom requires platforms to remove such content.
The charity says it is concerned that platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) have reduced the number of moderators in the past year.
David Bowles, Head of Public Affairs at the RSPCA, wanted to see more action taken and said the charity was working with Ofcom to monitor compliance with the new law.
“It’s incredibly worrying to see that reports made to us about cruelty on social media have been increasing,” he said
“This highlights the progress that social media companies need to make to become compliant with the new law which makes it an offence to post content showing animal cruelty online.
“We’re very concerned that the use of social media has changed the landscape of abuse with videos of animal cruelty being shared for likes and kudos with this sort of content normalising – and even making light of – animal cruelty.
“What’s even more worrying is the level of cruelty that can be seen in these videos, particularly as so many young people are being exposed to graphic footage of animals being beaten or killed which they otherwise would never have seen.”
According to the RSPCA’s Kindness Index 2025, 30% of people say they have witnessed animal cruelty online, with that figure rising to 46% among 18-24 year olds.
Most of this content is viewed on Facebook.
Examples of reported abuse include:
- A wild rat drowned in a bucket while caged, filmed and shared on Facebook
- A woman pouring shampoo into a Koi pond
- A man riding a small pony while another chases and whips it
- A cat thrown into a cage by its neck
- A man banned from keeping animals after sharing videos of his dogs hunting wildlife
The RSPCA also reported a 33% rise in general cruelty cases last summer, receiving 374 reports a day – or one call every two minutes while their cruelty line was open.
For more details, or to make a report or donation, log on to: rspca.org.uk/endcruelty.
