16 Feb 2026
The Scottish SPCA says welfare legislation must be re-examined despite the introduction of new online safety laws.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image: TimmyTimTim / Adobe Stock
More needs to be done to close the gap between welfare laws and the circulation of materials depicting animal abuse online, a charity has warned.
The Scottish SPCA has called for greater enforcement powers to tackle the problem which it fears may still be a growing problem, despite the implementation of new online safety legislation.
Nicola Strachan, the group’s head of advocacy and strategic partnerships, said: “Online cruelty is not victimless.
“It causes real, often extreme, suffering to animals and can have a deeply damaging impact on those who see it, particularly children.
“Animal abuse content is being created and shared at an alarming scale, yet Scotland’s animal welfare laws have not kept pace with how cruelty occurs in the digital age.
“If we are serious about protecting animals in today’s digital world, the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act must be reviewed so it can effectively address online-enabled cruelty and give enforcement agencies the tools they need to act.”
The call for action, which comes a few days after annual Safer Internet Day (10 February), is based on figures from the Animal Kindness Index, produced in conjunction with the RSPCA and USPCA, which found a fifth of Scottish adults had seen animal abuse content online.
The survey also found 31% of children believed such material was being shared more frequently.
Separate figures compiled by the online safety charity South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL) recorded more than 1,400 individual images and videos showing abuse during 2024 and 2025.
Hayley Laskey, from the group, said: “These images and videos are not only cruel and distressing, but they also normalise violence against animals and encourage continued online sharing.
“We urge tech companies, policymakers, and the public to work together to stop the spread of this content.”
The SSPCA’s calls for action also follows the publication in November of its manifesto for this spring’s Scottish parliamentary elections.
