History Main / AbuseDiscretionShot

** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02TheBeginning'', [[spoiler:avoids showing the brunt of it, but it becomes quite clear what's happening when the young Liu is shown shirtless, revealing bruises all over his body]].

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': During a flashback in "My Sister's Keeper", when Tai causes his little sister Kari to become hospitalized due to taking her out to play when she was ill, a slapping sound is heard as the scene transitions from Kari lying unconscious on the playground to Tai holding his reddened cheek and his mom with her raised hand, [[BerserkerTears tearfully and angrily shouting]], "What were you thinking?!" (This is averted in the original Japanese version, however, where the slap is shown onscreen.)

* ''Webcomic/TheFantasyBookClub'': You never actually see Fiona's father hurting her, only the injuries left after the fact.

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* ''WebAnimation/SpookyMonth'': In a series that doesn't shy away from slapstick and characters getting hurt, Roy's uncle abusing him is only briefly implied by Roy himself, and his uncle's one scene of him predatorily creeping on Skid and Pump is stopped before he's able to actually do anything to the two.
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* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': In the fifth episode, some of Lestat de Lioncourt's [[DomesticAbuse brutal pummeling]] of his boyfriend Louis de Pointe du Lac occurs off-screen, although the many injuries that the latter sustains are disturbing.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In the episode [[Recap/AmericanDadS3E12ATTheAbusiveTerrestrial "The Abusive Terrestrial"]], Roger starts playing with a boy named Henry after Steve appears to outgrow him. This relationship becomes abusive, with Henry becoming controlling and violent. In one scene, he gets mad at Roger. Roger backs up into a garden shed, while Henry follows him. In the next scene, Roger has a black eye.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender's'' "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheStorm The Storm]]": When Zuko speaks out of turn during a war conference, he gets challenged to a firebending duel to defend his honor. Upon realizing the opponent was his father, he refuses to fight, only for his father to insist he be disciplined. Though the camera cuts to the audience as Ozai burns his son, Zuko's pain is heard, and the resulting scar remains throughout the series.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': A {{Downplayed}} example happens in "One of the Boys", considering that nothing that happens is too intense for the show's age rating. The moment Luke [[{{Swirlie}} shoves Lincoln's head in the toilet]] isn't explicitly seen, instead taking cues from background noise and how Lincoln appears in the aftermath, with a wet face and hair.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark:'' In the season 6 episode, ''Jared Has Aides,'' Cartman pretends to be Butters to cover for him when he sneaks out while grounded. Unfortunately for Butters, Cartman hurls profane insults at them while doing it. The episode ends with his parents violently beating him, with only the sounds of his parents screaming at and hitting him while Butters whimpers being heard from outside his house.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': At the end of [[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE21MadLove “Mad Love”]], when Harley runs to greet an angry Joker, he slaps her. The camera pans away as he raises his arm, cuts to Batman flinching, then shows Harley falling to the floor.

* Despite the fact that he was sexually abused throughout the seven years he was held captive, the MiniSeries "I Know
My First Name Is Steven", based on the kidnapping of [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Stayner Steven Stayner]] never depicts nor describes a single incident [[note]]as the actors playing him were both underage, this would have been necessary regardless[[/note]], managing to get away with simply hinting at or implying it. Even when he testifies at his abductor's trial, the scene ends just as his testimony would have become more graphic.

* Despite the fact that he was sexually abused throughout the seven years he was held captive, the MiniSeries based on the kidnapping of [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Stayner Steven Stayner]] never depicts nor describes a single incident [[note]]as the actors playing him were both underage, this would have been necessary regardless[[/note]], managing to get away with simply hinting at or implying it. Even when he testifies at his abductor's trial, the scene ends just as his testimony would have become more graphic.

* Despite the fact that he was sexually abused throughout the seven years he was held captive, the MiniSeries based on the kidnapping of [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Stayner Steven Stayner]] never depicts nor describes a single incident [[note]]as the actors playing him where both underage, this would have been necessary regardless[[/note]], managing to get away with simply hinting at or implying it. Even when he testifies at his abductor's trial, the scene ends just as his testimony would have become more graphic.

* Despite the fact that he was sexually abused throughout the seven years he was held captive, the MiniSeries based on the kidnapping of [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Stayner Steven Stayner]] never depicts nor describes a single incident [[[[note]] As the actors playing him where both underage, this would have been necessary regardless. [[/note]], managing to get away with simply hinting at or implying it. Even when he testifies at his abductor's trial, the scene ends just as his testimony would have become more graphic.

* ''VideoGame/DetroitBecomeHuman'': Todd hurls a fair amount of verbal and physical abuse at his daughter Alice early in the story, but the latter type is never explicitly shown. During the chapter "Stormy Night", he launches into a heated rant that culminates in him slapping Alice, at which the camera briefly cuts away to show Kara's reaction before returning to Alice clutching her cheek. Not long afterwards, if he reaches Alice's bedroom before Kara he'll barge in, [[DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff belt in hand]], and starts beating her with it. Since Todd closes the door behind him and stops to confront Kara as soon as she enters the bedroom, little of the actual beating gets shown.

* ''VideoGame/DetroitBecomeHuman'': Todd hurls a fair amount of verbal and physical abuse at his daughter Alice early in the story, but the latter type is never explicitly shown. During the chapter "Stormy Night", he launches into a heated rant that culminates in him slapping Alice, at which the camera briefly cuts away to show Kara's reaction before returning to Alice clutching her cheek. Not long afterwards he barges into her bedroom, [[DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff belt in hand]], and starts beating her with it. Since Todd closes the door behind him and stops to confront Kara as soon as she enters the bedroom, little of the actual beating gets shown.

* In the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'', at the beginning of the game after returning to Pokey's house after seeing the meteor, Pokey's dad decides to discipline him and Picky for sneaking out at night. He takes them upstairs and off-screen, and a smacking sound is heard. If you talk to Pokey before leaving the house, he'll say his butt really hurts. This is {{bowdlerized}} in the North American release, where Pokey is simply said to have been grounded instead, and the slap is replaced with the sound of arguing.

Usually, the offscreen abuse is still treated seriously. This trope is relatively uncommon in cases where abuse is PlayedForLaughs (such as HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood), since the humor will often be in how [[CrossesTheLineTwice over-the-top the abuse is shown to be, to the point where it loops back around to being funny]]. However, sometimes the discretion shot in BlackComedy or otherwise less serious cases of abuse will be used to show NothingIsFunnier, and/or to avoid showing abuse as the disturbing topic that it really is.

** The abuse endured by Hansel and Gretel, including having to star in child porn and snuff movies, isn't exactly described but reactions by various characters shows it to have been pretty bad.

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': During a flashback in "My Sister's Keeper", when Tai causes his little sister Kari to become hospitalized due to taking her out to play when she was ill, a slap sound is heard as the scene transitions from Kari lying unconscious on the playground to Tai holding his reddened cheek and his mom with her raised hand, [[BerserkerTears tearfully and angrily shouting]], "What were you thinking?!" (This is averted in the original Japanese version, however, where the slap is shown onscreen.)

* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', Precia is never shown whipping Fate onscreen (though the lead up and immediate aftermath are). Instead, the scene focuses on Fate's familiar Arf, who is curled up into a TroubledFetalPosition over her inability to stop it while [[ScreamDiscretionShot she's subjected to Fate's screams of pain]].
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': While it's made clear early on that Endeavor is physically abusing his family, he is never shown in the moment when he is hitting his children. Instead we are mostly shown the aftermath of those moments, such as Touya struggling on the floor, or Natsuo and Fuyumi huddled together listening in to the screaming.

* ''Literature/TheButcherBoy'': [[spoiler:While staying at a boarding house, Francie Brady learns more about his dead parents as he interrogated a landlady. His father was abused as a child in an OrphanageOfFear and grew up and married Mrs. Brady and [[HorribleHoneymoon mistreats her during their honeymoon]]. The abuses aren't shown, but are told from the landlady.]]

* ''Series/GoodTimes'': The infamous scene of Penny getting burned with an iron from her mother as she pleads with her not to do it. They cut away but her next scene does have her arm bandaged up.

* ''Series/MoonKnight2022'': While Marc and Steven are going through their memories in episode 5, they come across one of [[spoiler:their mother, [[AbusiveParents Wendy]], suddenly coming into Marc's room and [[DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff hitting him with a belt]]]]. Before either of them (or the audience) can see the beating happen, though, Marc leads Steven away while telling him "You don't want to see that."
* ''Series/{{Poirot}}'': In the adaptation of ''Literature/AppointmentWithDeath'', in the flashbacks to Lady Boynton ordering the nanny to beat one of her adopted children, Leslie, we only see the cane and the terrified expressions of the other children, and hear Leslie screaming and crying; we also see Lady Boynton listening in remorselessly. The fact we don't see Leslie also helps conceal the plot twist that [[spoiler:Leslie was [[GenderBlenderName actually a young boy]] rather than a girl as one of the adult children misrembered; one of the male cast is revealed to be a grown-up Leslie out for revenge against Lady Boynton]].

* Music/ThePolice: The song "Don't Stand So Close To Me" is about an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and an underage schoolgirl, but never actually says what happens between them. The first two verses are about the growing attraction between the two; the second verse ends "Wet bus stop, she's waiting, his car is warm and dry" .Then the song cuts to the chorus. The third verse deals with the aftermath of the encounter.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In the episode [[Recap/AmericanDadS3E12ATTheAbusiveTerrestrial "The Abusive Terrestrial"]], Roger starts playing with a boy named Henry after Steve appears to outgrow him. This relationship becomes abusive, with Henry becoming controlling and violent. In one scene, he gets mad at Roger. Roger backs up into a garden shed, while Henry follows him. In the next scene Roger has a black eye.

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This is very common when trying to show that a character WouldHurtAChild - while the buildup to the situation is shown, it is rare to see the ''actual'' abuse occur onscreen.

When adding examples, please note that this trope is for cases in which ''abuse'' is not explicitly shown - as in, deliberate mistreatment of an (often vulnerable) individual, especially if repeated. Violence that is shied away from but without the context of abuse is more suited to tropes such as GoryDiscretionShot or BattleDiscretionShot. Most examples will be cases of DomesticAbuse, [[WouldHurtAChild child abuse]], ElderAbuse, or [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals animal abuse]], but it is possible for anyone to be a victim or perpetrator of abuse.

* ''Literature/TheButcherBoy'': [[spoiler: While staying at a boarding house, Francie Brady learns more about his dead parents as he interrogated a landlady. His father was abused as a child in an OrphanageOfFear and grew up and married Mrs. Brady and [[HorribleHoneymoon mistreats her during their honeymoon]]. The abuses aren't shown, but are told from the landlady.]]

** The Dursleys, along with Dudley's friends, aren't directly shown abusing Harry but their actions are alluded.

** A much later episode involves a scene where the assistant D.A. went to the apartment of a murder suspect's father in search of a necklace that the murder victim had been wearing. Turned out the suspect had used it to pay her father for a new coat, and he promptly gave it to his girlfriend of the moment. When the D.A. said she needed the necklace, the man went into the bedroom - off camera - and returned with the necklace. The offscreen dialogue and sound effects left no doubt as to [[DomesticAbuse how he got the necklace from the girlfriend]], but no abuse was shown.

* ''Literature/TheButcherBoy'': [[spoiler: While staying at a boarding house, Francie Brady learns more about his dead parents as he interrogated a landlady. His father was abused as a child in an OrphanageOfFear and grew up and married Mrs. Brady and [[HorribleHoneymoon mistreats her during their honeymoon]]. The abuses aren't shown, but are told from the landlady.

'''Indexes: AbuseTropes, DiscretionShot, ChildAbuseTropes, ATorturedIndex'''