The Problem

🛑 Stop the abuse of monkeys on social media

Across the world, especially in several Asian countries, baby monkeys are systematically exploited for online entertainment on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. They are dressed in diapers and clothes, tied into high chairs, restrained by their hands or feet and forced to behave like human babies. These videos are viewed millions of times, while in reality this is severe and criminal animal abuse.

But the reality goes far beyond “cute monkeys in diapers”. Social media is also flooded with footage showing young monkeys being beaten, tied up, hung, nearly drowned and even dipped into boiling oil. These horrific acts of abuse are publicly visible. Platforms are repeatedly notified about this content, yet they structurally fail to remove it or take adequate action.

🐒Monkeys are natural quadrupeds. Their hips, knees, spine and joints are not built to walk upright. When they are forced to walk on two legs, their muscles, joints and spinal column become severely overloaded, leading to permanent deformities, chronic pain and lifelong mobility problems.

Wearing diapers restricts their natural posture and movement, constricts the hips and tail base, disrupts their hygienic and social behavior and causes skin irritation, inflammation and pain.

Binding the hands of young monkeys to prevent thumb-sucking is severe animal abuse. Young monkeys learn and develop through the use of their hands. Restricting them impairs their motor development, independent eating and climbing abilities and causes extreme stress, depressive behavior and, in some cases, “failure to thrive”: literally giving up on life due to lack of safety, bonding and movement.

Baby monkeys are taken from their mothers far too early, causing deep and lifelong trauma. Monkeys kept as pets lose their natural social structure and suffer severely from loneliness and stress.

Monkeys are not pets, toys or influencers.

Legal reality

Since 2024, TikTok, YouTube and other major platforms fall under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). This law obliges platforms to act quickly and effectively against illegal content, explicitly including animal abuse. Allowing and monetizing this content is therefore not only morally unacceptable, but also in violation of European law. Despite this, these videos remain widely accessible.

We demand

That TikTok, YouTube and all social platforms ban all content in which monkeys are humanized, restrained, dressed, forced into unnatural behavior or abused in any way.

That a dedicated animal abuse reporting system be created and reviewed by independent animal welfare experts.

That international legislation prohibits the ownership and use of monkeys as pets or for entertainment.

What you can do

Stop liking, sharing and following these videos. As long as views, likes and ad revenue continue, the abuse continues. When profit disappears, the motivation disappears — and so does the abuse.

👉 Sign this petition and help put an end to online animal abuse.

👉 Demand that platforms recognize this content for what it truly is: criminal cruelty.

More information… 

I'll keep you updated on my website. Take a look. 🐒🫶🏼

https://freethemonkeys.com/ 

freethemonkeys.com 

liefs, Ilona Monsanto