Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Torture of Animals: Online Content

Wednesday 17 December 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • BBC investigation uncovered an international network sharing videos of extreme cruelty to cats and kittens
  • Government prioritizes animal cruelty as a serious offence under the law
  • Platforms must enforce the law and act proactively to detect and remove such content

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Johanna Baxter Lab Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

Two teenagers were prosecuted for torturing and killing kittens in a public park. A BBC investigation uncovered an international network sharing videos of extreme cruelty to cats and kittens, with users possessing such material being in the UK.

Question

Earlier this year, two teenagers were prosecuted for the torture and killing of kittens in a public park. A BBC investigation has since uncovered a disturbing international network sharing videos of extreme cruelty to cats and kittens, and users here in the UK and those prosecuted have been found to be in possession of that material. Online animal abuse is not a harmless niche; it is a recognised warning sign for escalating violence, including serious crimes against women and girls. I am pleased that the Prime Minister’s Christmas card promotes kindness towards animals. Will my hon. Friend outline what further work his Department is doing to ensure that we address harmful content?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Kanishka Narayan)

May I first pay tribute to my hon. Friend—and indeed her cats Clement Cattlee and Mo Meowlam—for being right at the vanguard of campaigning on this serious issue. Animal cruelty is a priority offence in the law, as I mentioned, and Ofcom must enforce it and platforms must act on it. The Government will keep the pressure on, as we have done in our engagements with the platforms, to ensure that our cats—our animals—are safe from cruelty.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific commitment or timeline was provided for further work addressing harmful content promoting animal torture

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Alex Easton Ind North Down
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

An ongoing issue with the use of artificial intelligence and human moderators to identify and remove harmful content.

Question

Can the Government do more to ensure proactive detection of this vile material, such as by using artificial intelligence tools and human moderators with specialist training in animal cruelty, so that such content is swiftly identified and removed, and put robust measures in place to prevent it from reappearing online?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Kanishka Narayan)

I thank the hon. Member for an apt question on this theme. As I mentioned, animal cruelty is a priority offence under the law. Platforms must take proactive steps, including to assess risk before it pertains and to remove content where it clearly falls foul of the law. The Government will keep making sure that enforcement through the regulator and via platforms continues at pace.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific actions using AI or trained moderators were provided, only general commitments for continued enforcement

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)