In today’s digital world, children are spending more time online than ever—chatting with friends, doing schoolwork, and exploring new content. But with this freedom come real risks. Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, has called on parents and guardians to actively monitor their children’s online activities and have open conversations about the dangers of harmful and prohibited content.
Exposure to such material not only puts children at risk of legal consequences but also causes long-term psychological harm to the victims involved.
Parental guidance and digital supervision remain key to keeping young people safe online.The Deputy Minister’s appeal follows a Gauteng High Court ruling ordering Meta (the multi-national company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) to shut down certain Instagram accounts and WhatsApp channels that were distributing explicit Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), also known as child pornography.
Judge Mudunwazi Makamu instructed Meta to remove all content of a sexual nature involving schoolchildren and to ensure that such profiles are permanently deleted.
The court ruling echoes Deputy Minister Gungubele’s recent Budget Vote address, in which he warned:“With the development and expansion of digital technologies, the crime of online child exploitation and abuse has grown exponentially and has become the most insidious form of global, modern and borderless cybercrime.
The psychological effects on victims of child pornography are long-lasting and devastating, hence we applaud the high court ruling,” said the Deputy Minister.The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and the Film and Publication Board (FPB) also welcomed the judgment.
The Films and Publications Act defines child pornography as any image or representation that visually depicts a child engaged in sexual activity. Producing, distributing, possessing, or exposing children to such material is a criminal offense with severe penalties, including imprisonment and fines.
In a statement, the department also described harmful content as any material—online or offline—that causes emotional, psychological, or mental distress.
To help tackle the problem, the Deputy Minister will host quarterly media briefings on trends tracked by the FPB, including CSAM and other prohibited content.
The public is encouraged to report harmful or illegal material by calling the FPB hotline on 0800 148 148, messaging the FPB WhatsApp line at 083 428 4767, or visiting www.fpb.org.za
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