Teach them to be compassionate towards every living being.
While it can be said that not all perpetrators of animal cruelty are children and teenagers, sadly, this age group counts towards a high percentage of those who think nothing of harming an innocent animal, and this is something that urgently needs addressing.
Animal welfare, and awareness of animal cruelty, should be taught in all schools.
Children are our future, and by starting education early on, those same children may grow up to be influential people who may just set the wheels in motion to enforce stricter penalties for animal abusers, make breed-specific legislations a thing of the past, and put an end to puppy mills and breeders who often keep dogs in squalid conditions, abandoning the animal when it can no longer make them money.
