Facebook will remove posts supporting child abuse video, but posts condemning it shall remain with a warning screen

A Facebook spokesperson said 'like others, we find the behaviour in this video upsetting and disturbing'

Facebook has said it will remove posts supporting a video depicting child abuse, but that posts condemning it shall remain with a warning screen and age limit.

The video, which is thought to originate from Indonesia, depicts a child being dunked in a bucket of water by a woman, and screaming loudly while she swings it around by its limbs.

The baby is also held high by the arms with one hand and swung round and round, its head unsupported.

A Facebook spokesperson said: "Like others, we find the behaviour in this video upsetting and disturbing.

"In cases like these, we face a difficult choice: balancing people’s desire to raise awareness of behaviour like this against the disturbing nature of the video.

"In this case, we are removing any reported instances of the video from Facebook that are shared supporting or encouraging this behaviour.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Getty)

"In cases where people are raising awareness or condemning the practice, we are marking reported videos as disturbing, which means they have a warning screen and are accessible only to people over the age of 18."

Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said in an open letter to internet safety minister Baroness Shields and Ed Vaizey, minister for the digital economy: "Facebook’s terms and conditions say it will "remove graphic images when they are shared for sadistic pleasure or to celebrate or glorify violence". But when questioned on this latest piece of film the official reaction was to say "it does not breach its policies"."

"The NSPCC believes we have now reached the long overdue point where it is time for social networking sites to be held to account for the content on their sites.

"Such a body or division should also be given the power to make legally binding orders requiring internet companies to take necessary and proportionate measures to safeguard children online," Mr Wanless wrote.

"I strongly believe this matter is too serious to be allowed to continue so would urge you to reconvene a meeting of the relevant companies so we can at last get some decisive action."