Overview
- The Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition held its first global summit in Bali on June 12 to coordinate responses between more than 40 animal‑welfare groups, investigators and some platform representatives.
- Investigators and campaigners say short, shocking formats have grown more brutal over years, with a 'crushing' trend that moved from insects to kittens, puppies and other mammals and staged 'fake rescue' videos made to win clicks and donations.
- The BBC's investigation into the makaken baby 'Mini' and reports from groups working in places such as Uganda have led to arrests, a high‑profile rescue and examples of how abuse is commissioned, filmed, paid for and spread in closed chat groups.
- German campaigners say a draft law in Berlin has cross‑party support to criminalize the glorification and distribution of violent animal content and to impose tougher penalties on creators and sharers.
- Platform cooperation remains uneven—YouTube and TikTok attended the Bali talks while Facebook did not—and campaigners warn that algorithmic engagement and payments keep rewarding abuse, making coordinated regulation and tech detection urgent.