Predatory behaviour toward minors is being normalised online, and you should be very concerned
Image: Pexels / Supplied
The new report by the Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC), which has revealed deeply troubling narratives and trends regarding child sexual exploitation, teenage pregnancy, and the normalisation of predatory behaviour toward minors on social media platforms, has raised concern and been labelled 'chilling'.
The report, 'After 12 is Lunch', covers the period from 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2025, exposing how child predation is perpetuated, rationalised, and endorsed online.
Some of the report's key findings have shown that there is weak accountability when it comes to rampant teenage pregnancy, and that some social media users openly supported relationships between adult men and minor girls.
'Over 7,600 pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14 were reported in eThekwini alone, with the youngest mother was just 10 years old. Many users blamed societal failure and called for automatic statutory rape investigations in all such cases. Alarmingly, others blamed the minors themselves or justified the relationships for financial reasons,' the report said.
'Phrases like 'after 12 is lunch' and cultural arguments were used to excuse or normalise exploitation. A church was also flagged for condoning a marriage between a 55-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman. The marriage is legal, but heavily criticised on ethical grounds.'
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It also mentioned how a handful of accounts on X, formerly Twitter, were responsible for posting and sharing sexually explicit content involving underage children, especially girls in school uniforms.
'While these posts often received little engagement, they accumulated high view counts, suggesting silent consumption by many users.
'Instead of unified condemnation, many responses devolved into racial finger-pointing, with some users attempting to portray child predation as a racial issue. This harmful rhetoric risks obscuring the broader systemic problem,' the report added.
'Finally, in our exploration of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) online, we found widespread perpetuation of images/videos of school children and underage presenting females with attendant captions indicating either their age or a rough estimation thereof.
'Several accounts based in South Africa are stylised around this type of content and post solely images or videos of young females. Their consistent posting, as well as the number of accounts engaging in perpetuating such content, suggests that they do have an audience despite getting minimal engagement on their posts.
'Often, their posts have significantly higher views than likes or comments, which suggests that accounts view their posts; however, they refrain from liking or commenting.
'This raises questions on the measures that social media platforms have in place to address child predation, and the responsibility of online users to hold each other accountable to report problematic content,' the report mentions.
Spokesperson for anti-gender-based violence organisation Ilitha Labantu, Siyabulela Monakali, said the findings are deeply concerning and expose troubling narratives and trends.
'Our work supporting survivors and vulnerable children makes clear that these online dangers are part of a broader, persistent pattern of exploitation. The online space has made it easier for perpetrators to target children by enabling anonymity, wider reach, and continuous contact.
'The report's findings confirm this, highlighting the urgent need for greater awareness, education, and enforcement. It confirms what we see in our work: that exploitation is not only persistent but also evolving in how it presents online,' Monakali said.
'While child exploitation is not new, the online environment amplifies risks. Children are often unaware of these dangers, and many parents lack the resources or knowledge to educate them effectively about online safety. This gap allows perpetrators to exploit children with greater ease.'
Monakali added that arrests show that law enforcement is actively responding to these crimes, but the persistent use of coded language and grooming tactics online shows that prevention efforts are not yet sufficient.
'The general public and many caregivers often lack clear information about online grooming, which leaves children vulnerable.
'Combating this requires a holistic approach. Education on digital literacy and online safety must be prioritised for children, parents, and educators alike. Law enforcement agencies need more training and resources to track and prosecute online offences effectively.
'The recent court order compelling Meta to unmask users posting sexual content of South African schoolchildren highlights the critical need for platform accountability. Social media companies must be held responsible for monitoring and removing exploitative content promptly,' Monakali said.
Action Society spokesperson, Juanita du Preez, said the report is a chilling yet necessary exposure of the disturbing trends in South Africa's digital landscape.
'The casual normalisation and outright celebration of child sexual exploitation on public social media platforms is not only a gross violation of our children's rights—it is a national emergency. The fact that statutory rape, CSAM, and grooming language are being openly discussed and, in some cases, trivialised in digital discourse is a damning indictment of both law enforcement failures and our society's growing desensitisation to abuse,' Du Preez said.
'The use of grooming language remains rampant because the platforms meant to protect users often prioritise engagement metrics over child safety. Moreover, public awareness is still lacking—many adults and even children are unaware that certain comments, DMs, or 'jokes' are actually predatory red flags.'
Du Preez said that stronger enforcement and accountability are needed from tech companies, who must be legally compelled to detect, report, and take down grooming content swiftly, and hand over user data when child abuse is suspected, as seen in last week's important court ruling.
'South Africa's laws on digital child safety must be updated. We need harsher penalties for grooming, improved surveillance for CSAM, and better cross-border cooperation.
'We require fully resourced units that understand both the psychological profile of predators and the technology they use to exploit children,' she said.
'If we cannot guarantee our children's safety online, we are failing them in the spaces they spend most of their time. At Action Society, we believe that every child deserves to grow up free from fear, exploitation, and abuse—whether offline or online.'
Forensic criminologist and director of security consulting firm Cybareti, Laurie James, has highlighted that while the report has its strengths, it does have limitations. James said that the report misses key modern psychological motivators, especially in the digital realm.
Missing or underdeveloped motivations include:
Anonymity and Disinhibition: The online disinhibition effect (Suler, 2004) is a critical driver as predators feel shielded by anonymity, which emboldens them to express desires or act on fantasies they suppress offline. The lack of consequence (real or perceived) also lowers the threshold for engagement in CSAM, grooming, or voyeurism.
Community Reinforcement Loops: Offenders find validation and reinforcement in like-minded online communities, echo chambers that normalise and escalate deviant interests. The role of online subcultures, forums, encrypted chat groups (e.g.Telegram, Discord, dark web) was entirely omitted.
Addiction and Escalation: CSAM users often start with 'borderline' material (e.g. sexualised school uniforms) and progress toward more extreme content—a process similar to porn addiction escalation. This compulsion and tolerance cycle is not discussed.
Sadism and Power Dynamics: Some predators are driven by the thrill of dominance and humiliation, especially in livestreamed abuse or coercive 'sextortion'. There's no mention of psychopathic traits, paraphilic disorders, or compulsive-exploitative motives, despite cases clearly indicating these.
Moral Disengagement & Rationalisation: The report touches on cognitive distortion but misses Bandura's model of moral disengagement, such as: minimising harm ('she's mature for her age'), victim-blaming ('she flirted first') euphemistic language ('just chatting,' 'educating') and diffusion of responsibility ('everyone does it online').
Some of the report's key findings have shown that there is weak accountability when it comes to rampant teenage pregnancy, and that some social media users openly supported relationships between adult men and minor girls.
Image: Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change/Screenshot
James added that there is also no discussion of emerging tech tools used in predation, an absence of grooming models specific to online environments, and neglect of victim vulnerabilities.
'The report centres on predators, but lacks insight into how victims are selected, lured, and manipulated. Vulnerability factors like poverty, social media overexposure, lack of parental supervision, prior trauma or abuse, and mental health challenges are all underexplored,' James said.
'Grooming and predatory behaviour continue not because society accepts them, but because systems are under-resourced and under-trained, communities are under-educated about grooming dynamics, and offenders are strategic, manipulative, and increasingly digital-savvy.
'Victims are not protected early enough, and public messaging continues to blur the lines of accountability.
'Combating the pervasive culture of online grooming and predatory behaviour requires a multi-level strategy that addresses prevention, detection, accountability, and recovery—not just enforcement. This is a societal problem rooted in technological gaps, cultural attitudes, systemic under-resourcing, and digital disinhibition.
'Traditional methods of online safety education often fall flat with today's youth, who are increasingly disengaged from lecture-style warnings and adult-driven campaigns. To truly reach and protect children, we must adopt innovative, creative approaches that resonate with their world,' James said.
'In a world where digital dangers evolve faster than ever, protecting children online demands more than quick fixes or isolated efforts.'
theolin.tembo@inl.co.za
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