MAINLAND CHINA — TikTok removed dozens of accounts in mid-May 2026 that had posted videos under the label "LabGerm," which depicted small animals being physically maimed in mock laboratory experiments. Hundreds of the videos, which appeared to originate on the Chinese social media app Douyin, have circulated across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook in recent weeks and have amassed millions of views.

Most of the videos start with a pair of gloved hands against a white backdrop as an AI-generated voice narrates and upbeat music plays in the background. In the foreground, a fish appears to undergo an experiment involving physical harm. None of the videos present any findings or conclusions, and some appear to have been made entirely or partly with artificial intelligence, while others appear to show real animals in distress.

A review of dozens of the videos found they showed small animals including pleco "suckermouth" catfish, leeches, snails, slugs, and various insects being physically maimed. At least 49 Douyin accounts have spread content showing pleco fish undergoing physical harm. Douyin is available only in mainland China, Macau, and Hong Kong, though people outside those regions can access it by setting their Apple ID to those regions or through other workarounds.

The videos and the term "LabGerm" have spawned reaction videos, discussion, memes, and merchandise. Videos expressing outrage about the trend have been posted on YouTube and Meta platforms. A TikTok search in mid-May found more than 20 accounts imitating the videos.

Nicola O'Brien, lead coordinator for the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition, said the reaction content was amplifying the original material. "Members of the public might see this content and be outraged. But we've even seen people creating content about the content, which is then, I think, leading people back to the content," she said. The coalition, started by the Asia for Animals Coalition to stop animal abuse content on social media, has previously tracked videos involving monkeys, cats, and dogs, but the pleco fish videos are reaching a wider audience.

O'Brien said automated systems do not differentiate between interest and outrage when promoting content. "It doesn't matter if someone's putting a thumb up or a thumb down or they're writing a negative comment or calling out content. All of that is seen as engagement. So that's pushing that content to more viewers," she said.

A TikTok spokesperson said the platform deleted all the flagged accounts, which violated community guidelines that prohibit "animal abuse, cruelty, neglect, trade or any other form of animal exploitation." Users can report content that violates the policies via the app and a web form, and the company provides support resources to help users identify and report animal abuse.