The TikTok video-sharing platform is a massive hit among youngsters, yet beneath its surface of teens lip-syncing to songs and adorable puppies running around, it is perpetuating horrific animal abuse.
SOPHIE JANE EVANS: ‘Popular app TikTok has become a hotbed of animal cruelty where thugs are punching helpless dogs and tying tight bands around cats’ ears, a Sun Online investigation can reveal. The video-sharing platform is a massive hit among youngsters – yet beneath its surface of teens lip-syncing to songs and adorable puppies running around, it is perpetuating horrific animal abuse… Sun Online investigation uncovered videos of dogs and cats desperately trying to escape as they were battered around the head to music, in footage branded a “dangerous abomination” by animal rights group PETA. Among them was a clip of a confused black dog attempting to bite its owner as it was repeatedly slapped on the back to an explicit version of the children’s song If You’re Happy and You Know It. The violent footage had been ‘liked’ by more than three million users.
Another clip saw a helpless cat trying to protect itself as it was whacked on the head. And a third – now removed from TikTok – captured a small dog being brutally punched in the side of its jaw. “These videos are a dangerous abomination – particularly for impressionable viewers, including this platform’s younger users,” PETA director Elisa Allen tells Sun Online. “They normalise treating animals disrespectfully, even physically abusing them, and there’s a risk of ‘copycat’ behaviour by people who are desperate for publicity and attention – even the negative kind”… While at first this may seem like a harmless craze, critics have highlighted that some of the animals in the videos are clearly uncomfortable as they are manhandled simply for ‘likes’. They are also at risk of suffering a ruptured blood vessel and ear swelling…
Such explicit content has led many parents to slam the app on online forums – with one writing: “This is absolutely disgusting and horrifying and not even appropriate for 18-year-olds in my book.” Meanwhile, PETA has urged TikTok users to report any animal abuse they witness to authorities immediately. “We call on digital platforms to ensure abusers are permanently banned,” says Ms Allen… After being contacted by Sun Online, a TikTok spokesperson said: “We have investigated every individual case that has been raised and removed all content that violates our Community Guidelines.” The spokesperson added: “Promoting a positive and safe app environment for our users is a top priority for TikTok. We use both technologies and human moderation teams to identify, review and remove dangerous or abusive content’.’ SOURCE…
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