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Phone with social media apps
Social media law expert, Emma Sadleir has urged parents to monitor their children’s activities on social media platforms, particularly on WhatsApp.
This after the Gauteng High Court, on Monday, ordered Meta platforms, to shut down anonymous Instagram accounts and WhatsApp channels distributing graphic child pornography involving South African schoolchildren.
Sadleir, the Director of the Digital Law Company, turned to the court on an urgent basis, when they became aware of the explicit content involving children on Instagram and WhatsApp.
According to Sadleir, the explicit pornographic photos and videos frequently include additional details about the child depicted, such as their name, grade and school.
“I really urge every parent listening to go and look at their child’s WhatsApp account and go through if they are following channels. All the rules around digital hygiene, looking after children, knowing what they’re up to.
Making sure that young children are not on social media and very, very dangerous is this idea that WhatsApp is not social media.
What we’re seeing is that WhatsApp is actually more dangerous than the other platforms because of these huge channels and because there’s just zero accountability, no person identified on any of the platforms and they’re just doing whatever they want to.” said Sadleir
