“Children also look for alternative ways to entertain themselves. They have access to video games. They exchange details with strangers, not knowing who they are communicating with.
“Those entrusted with the welfare of the child when the parents are at work may be offenders themselves. It is important for the public to be aware that it is against the law to access and distribute child pornography. It is also against the law to share pictures of children. We do have situations where people have done jail time for creating and distributing child pornography.”The Child Justice Act ensures that children take responsibility of the crimes they commit without being criminalised.
Dr Charmain Badenhorst, director of child justice and family law at the department of justice, said there were legal responses to cyberbullying. Badenhorst said the department was implementing the Cybercrimes Bill. “This will provide protection against cyberbullying because it criminalises the disclosure of data that is harmful and provides for interim protection orders.”