GAUTENG. – The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will release a report next month on children's rights to privacy and safety on online platforms. The focus will be on gaps in South Africa's legislation and protection of children against online dangers.
The report, Children's Rights to Privacy and Safety on Online Platforms: Legislative Gaps and the Case for Reform, contains the findings of a conference held on 28 March in Johannesburg. The conference brought together representatives from government departments, UN agencies, regulators, technology companies, civil organisations and children themselves.
According to the SAHRC, the report identifies important gaps in legislation, including in the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia), the Films and Publications Act, the Cybercrime Act and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act. These gaps can expose children to, among others, online grooming, exploitation, cyberbullying, harmful content, addictive platform design and the collection and publication of personal information without consent.
The report also contains The Children's Declaration, which was adopted by children who participated in the conference. It calls on government, technology companies, schools, parents and civil organisations to take steps to better protect children's rights in the digital environment.
The report will be released on 22 October from 10:00 to 12:00 at Sentinel House, Sunnyside Office Park, 32 Princess of Wales Terrace, Parktown. Members of the public who wish to attend the launch must RSVP by 22 October via email at [email protected] .
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
