SA Kids as Young as 7 Can Be Sued, 1 Teen Arrested Weekly for Online Harm in 2026
- Digital law expert Emma Sadleir warned on Jacaranda FM that South African children as young as seven can be sued for defamation
- Sadleir revealed that at least one teenager or tween has been arrested every week this year for online offences under the Cyber Crimes Act
- Parents across South Africa are reportedly receiving summonses and footing legal bills for their children's online behaviour
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SOUTH AFRICA — A digital law expert has issued a stark warning to South African parents: their children can face criminal arrest and civil lawsuits for their behaviour online, with legal exposure beginning as young as seven years old.
Emma Sadleir delivered the warning during an interview on Jacaranda FM's Breakfast with Martin Bester, where she outlined a rapidly escalating pattern of legal consequences affecting minors across the country.
Children facing defamation suits and criminal charges
Sadleir said she has been fielding calls from parents who have received civil summonses on behalf of children as young as 11. "I'm getting phone calls from parents to say, 'We've just received a summons for defamation against my 11-year-old,'" she said, noting that the parents bear the burden of both the legal fees and the proceedings themselves.
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On the criminal side, South Africa's age of criminal responsibility means that children from 12 years old can be arrested. Sadleir said one child younger than that is currently being assessed for criminal capacity. More alarming, she said, is the frequency with which it is happening: "I can tell you that I know of at least one tween or teen a week of this year who has been arrested because of online harm."
Cyber crimes act increasingly enforced against minors
The offences driving these arrests range from AI-generated image-based abuse and cyberbullying to criminal injuria and threats made via messaging platforms. Sending a message threatening to assault or kill someone now constitutes a criminal offence under South Africa's Cyber Crimes Act. Sadleir also noted that children are obtaining protection orders against one another due to the severity of online harassment.
Her message to parents was unambiguous: the era of treating online harm as a matter for informal education has passed. "It's absolutely the parents' responsibility to ensure that they understand that these kids, even though they're young, attract criminal liability," she said.
Watch Sadleir's full warning on Jacaranda FM's Instagram:
The interview drew a strong response from South Africans online, with many expressing support for stricter accountability.
@whambamthankyouvan commented:
"This needs to be added to the school / CAPS curriculum."
@boho_diva84 wrote:
"I'm sorry, I don't think this is a bad thing at all. Bullying doesn't only happen on the 'playground '; it is far worse. If they are 'old enough to inflict harm online on others they are old enough to suffer the consequences!!! End of story!'"
@1_dimplebeauty added:
"Maybe this will make parents take the bullying thing seriously. Some parents refuse to acknowledge that their kids terrorise other kids."
@ygsfbaby offered a dissenting view:
"This is not a problem. Raise your children well, and they will not have a problem."
@trishana_govender said:
"❤️ #saynotobullying By the time they pay their legal fees, we're paying our kids' therapy fees."
DJ Warras murder accused in court
Briefly News previously reported that DJ Warras' murder suspects appeared in court on 22 October 2026.
The late DJ, who owned several buildings in Gauteng, was shot dead in 2025, and one suspect has already received a 25-year sentence.
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Source: Briefly News
