AS MANY as a fifth of school children across East Lancashire have witnessed cases of animal cruelty and neglect on social media, shocking new figures have revealed.

Research conducted by the RSPCA also informed how in Lancashire alone, 131 separate picture and video uploads of animals and pets being abused were reported to authorities - giving the county the second highest number for recorded incidents in the North West.

In response to this information the animal welfare charity is now preparing to launch a campaign called Generation Kind, n education and prevention programme aimed at young children. A petition to make animal welfare a mandatory subject in schools has also been made.

While wildlife officer PC Nigel Keates said these latest figures didn't surprise him, he was quick to praise the RSPCA on their proposal to teach animal welfare in schools.

He said: "Animal cruelty can sometimes be seen as a precursor to other crimes like domestic violence and in some cases if not addressed can go unchecked.

"I can only see the proposal to educate children on the importance of animal welfare as a good thing - if it is handled correctly.

"I strongly believe that more needs to be done about it."

The officer went on to speak about how the role of social media in society may have desensitised young people to the realities of abuse.

he continued: "Unfortunately some get a kick out of filming or watching this kind go content and they need to be made to understand that this is not the norm."

A poll conducted in the North West as a whole also revealed that 75 per cent of people think that animal welfare should be caught in schools.

Chief Executive of the RSCPA Chris Sherwood said: “The number of children seeing animal abuse online is shocking - the current generation of children are witnessing horrifying animal cruelty and neglect through channels which simply didn’t exist for previous generations.

“This is why we are launching Generation Kind - an ambitious education programme targeting school children, children in care, young offenders or those at risk of offending and other disadvantaged young people. Central to this is a new campaign to get animal welfare taught in all schools.”

The charity go on to say that teaching animal welfare would ensure children develop key life skills, including compassion and empathy, as well as respect for animals and a basic understanding of how to care for them.