The Young Reporter

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Asia, an international animal rights group, staged a protest outside HKTVmall’s parent company in Tseung Kwan O on Friday, demanding the firm halt all animal experiments linked to its life sciences project. According to Hong Kong Technology Venture Company’s 2025 annual report, the firm has  conducted 38 animal experiments since 2022 to keep organs – including heads and limbs – for extended periods after removal, aiming to develop new technology for long-term human organ preservation. The organisation called on HKTV to adopt non-animal testing alternatives and urged the public to boycott its product over what it described as animal cruelty. Four protestors who dressed in bloodstained clothes and wore pig and lamb masks stayed in a “pool of blood” outside the headquarters of HKTVmall for about an hour from noon. Jackie Tang, the campaigner and social media coordinator of PETA Asia said such visuals expose the “bloody reality” of animal testing. He said HKTV has been experimenting with “zero transparency,” as there is no way to oversee how the experiments were conducted, nor any indication that ethical alternatives were considered or how many animals were killed. “They claim that there is no cruelty involved, saying the animals are killed after being put into amnesia and decapitated, but they are still sentient beings, they feel terror and pain,” he said. Louis Ng Wai-mei, an advocate who represented Animal Rights Education by Non-profit Making Veterinary Services Society, said medical techniques and drugs used today were undeniably developed through animal testing. But she argued that scientific progress does not necessarily rely on animal testing. “Scientific and technological progress comes from challenging outdated practices and striving for better,” Ng said. She hopes that animal testing will eventually be abolished. HKTV has invested over HK$44.5 million in this …

When she was just 15, Fung, who does not want to reveal her full name for fear of negative consequences, found herself having her first sexual encounter. It was neither planned nor reckless. Years later, she said she did not regret it, but she wished she had known more about her body, consent and the emotions she felt that night. “I don’t feel bad about my decision, but if I had known more about this behaviour, I wouldn’t have felt so confused,” Fung said. Fung’s story is not unique. As access to social media, pornographic content and online conversations about sex continue to rise, the city’s Gen Z population is learning about intimacy at a younger age in a world that they say is more confusing than ever. But they say sex education in public schools has not caught up. Fewer young people are having sex, according to the latest survey by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong in 2021. But among those who are, the average age has dropped to 14. In 1997, the Education Bureau published guidelines for schools on sex education, but left it up to the schools to design their own programmes. By following those guidelines, schools focused more on values and attitudes towards sexuality, while providing less information about practical knowledge, such as condom use and how to prevent HIV. Sex education in formal lessons often emphasises the physiological aspects, such as reproduction mechanics, which may overlook psychological and social topics, such as sexual consent and gender equality, according to a 2022 study by the Equal Opportunities Commission, a semi-governmental agency concerned with public social issues. “When condoms or the process of sexual intercourse were mentioned in class, the teacher just briefly glossed over them and moved on. I didn’t get any practical knowledge …