Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Online Safety Act 2023, what steps she is taking to encourage social media companies to remove content depicting serious violence against animals.

The government takes online animal cruelty content extremely seriously. Under the Online Safety Act 2023, platforms must remove illegal content swiftly, including material promoting or facilitating animal cruelty, which is a designated priority offence. Services must also implement systems and processes to protect children from harmful depictions of animal cruelty, even where it is not illegal. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, enforces these duties and can take action, including issuing fines, where platforms fail to comply.