Turning the Tide
How We’re Fighting for our Children’s Digital Safety
It’s been a busy time for the Smartphone Free Childhood movement all over the world.
The conversation is buzzing and parents, educators and regulators are listening, questioning, and engaging. Hope is in the air and we’re seeing growing signs that the tide is turning in favour of better digital protections for our children.
Hope is a passion for the possible
With credit to Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard
✅The Digital Law Company forced Meta to take responsibility - Emma Sadleir, an SFC-SA supporter, explained, “The Digital Law Co secured a landmark victory for child protection in South Africa, following our urgent High Court application against Meta and WhatsApp LLC. The case was brought after the discovery of sexually exploitative material involving South African schoolchildren circulating on Meta-owned platforms, with no adequate action taken despite repeated reports. The action led to Meta turning over the identifying information for over 50 Instagram Accounts and WhatsApp channels, including: IP addresses, device identifiers, and contact information. This resolution is believed to be the first time in South African legal history that a global technology company has so willingly come on the record demands. It affirms that companies operating in South Africa must comply with our laws, court orders and standards of dignity and child safety - regardless of where they are headquartered. While technology and its risks will continue to evolve, we hope this leads to better regulations of these platforms, and better protection against these crimes.”
✅ Australia forges ahead with social media age restrictions - Australian children under 16 will soon be restricted from accessing social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X - and now YouTube.
The Australian government is sending a strong message: social media companies have a social responsibility to protect children and they’re going to be held to it.
Huge credit to our fellow advocacy groups influencing this change, including @Heads Up Alliance and @Wait Mate.
✅ The debate around social media age restrictions heats up in South Africa - SFC-SA’s Kate joined Cape Talk for a high-pressure interview on the pros and cons of social media age restrictions. The questions were tough, and listener pushback was even tougher, including:
"We are making a mistake again by limiting phones. Rather teach it at school – restrictions just push the issue underground!"
Education is one cornerstone, but on it’s own has proven not to be working. SFC-SA supports normalisation of a new norm - the global push towards a rating of at least 16+ for social media platforms, and the introduction of proper age gating mechanisms.
✅ YouTube announced AI-powered age-related protections - Proving that Big Tech does have the ability to introduce age gating mechanisms, YouTube will begin using AI to automatically apply protections for under 18’s, based on the user’s age - a step toward treating teens like teens, and not as miniature adults.
It’s far from perfect, but it shows something important: Big Tech is finally starting to adjust to children - not the other way around.
At SFC-SA, we see this as a hopeful shift. Every child deserves a chance to grow up in a childhood that is offline, unfiltered, and full of real moments.
A smartphone is a big decision
We were blown away by the turnout at our last webinar - mums, dads, grandparents, and teachers showed up in numbers for a powerful conversation on why giving your child a smartphone is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make for you child. A heartfelt thanks to Chris McKenna (Protect Young Eyes) for sharing his wisdom, and to Adrian from Fynbos Money, and one of our very own SFC-SA dads, for sponsoring the event.
One conversation can make all the difference
Guided by passionate SFC-SA parents, Ulrike and Casey, United Herzlia Schools in Cape Town recently hosted a powerful and thought-provoking evening with Emma Sadleir and Kate Farina, titled “What Are Screens Doing to Our Kids – and What Can We Do About It?”
Parents across all grades, from toddlers to teens, came together to understand the real risks of children accessing the online world too early and without supervision, rethink how we parent in the digital age and discuss practical ways to collaborate to delay smartphones and social media. The event brought together like-minded parents and sparked hopeful conversations, strengthening the growing community of parents and educators committed to protecting childhood in a digital age.
You’d be surprised how many other parents are quietly feeling as anxious as you are -about when, how, where and with whom their children are going online. And it just takes one of us to speak up, for others to follow. Give us a shout if you’re keen to start a conversation in YOUR community - we’d love to help you!
Life skills for children before they leave home
We really resonate with the idea of “preparing the child for the path, not the path for the child." Time spent online in today's high-tech world, means that it can become easy for children to miss out on practical life skills.
Besides using online platforms wisely, what other skills can you add to this list?
✅ Making simple, healthy meals
✅ Managing time - and getting enough sleep
✅Cleaning up and doing laundry
✅ Gardening - raking leaves, mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, trimming hedges
✅ Writing a letter - or at least an email
✅ Making phone calls and talking to strangers
✅ Basic first aid
✅ Navigating without GPS
✅ Managing money and saving
Movements like ours are like castles in the sky - it seems impossible that they can exist, let alone grow bigger! It might seem like they are built with raindrops and sunbeams - but actually that would be sweat and tears. We’re fuelled by passionate souls who know that the world is waiting for and needs change. We’re so grateful for the volunteers who give so generously of their time and skills - and to our spouses and children who tolerate our long hours of toil, and bring much-needed cups of coffee and even the odd neck massage. This is your movement, your community. And we love getting feedback from you - tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and what you need.
Asking for a neck massage would be cheeky, but if you could donate a couple of cups of coffee, we’d love that too!
Your support will help us -
Expand our outreach to more parents, schools and communities.
Advocate for policies that prioritize children’s well-being over screen time.
Join us in championing a movement that values childhood over clicks. Together, we can create generations where children thrive beyond the screen!
Let’s connect and share the word
We’d love to have you as part of our online community. Follow us on social media, share our posts, and help us inspire change together. We also value your voice and would love to be tagged, or sent your reels supporting the movement. See what one member shared with us:
To connect with SFC-SA search our handles below:
