MISA warns that children face growing danger online
MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, is urging parents and caregivers to treat online safety as a core part of child protection.
“Parents can no longer assume that children are safe simply because they are at home. Social media allows strangers to enter a child’s bedroom without knocking. A predator does not need to wait outside a school anymore. He can send a friend request, pose as another child, offer attention, gifts or sympathy and slowly groom a child into secrecy.
Parents must be actively involved so that they can pick-up on signs of grooming, sextortion or exploitation and report it to the South African Police Service,” says Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations.
According to the last available statistics, there are 50.8 million internet users in South Africa and 26.7 million social media user identities.
Recent online safety data underscores the urgency. The CyberTipline referred about 95 000 reports linked to suspected online child sexual exploitation in South Africa in 2025. The Film and Publication Board also reported that 7 461 pieces of content analysed between April and December 2024 were confirmed as child sexual abuse material, while 24% of South African teens reported experiencing cyberbullying firsthand.
MISA encourages families to check privacy settings, monitor online platforms, question sudden secrecy and preserve evidence such as screenshots. Protecting children today means protecting them online too.
“Parents should know who your child is talking to online, because the person on the other side of the screen may not be who they claim to be,” says Keyter.
Issued by Sonja Carstens, Manager of MISA’s Media & Communication Department, on behalf of the Union.
For press enquiries, contact Phakamile Hlubi Majola at 083 367 6417 or email [email protected].
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