“More than half of the 9 – to 17-year-olds in South Africa have seen sexual images on a phone or online device in the past year. The 2022 Disrupting Harm survey reports that more than 95% of children in South Africa have access to the internet via a mobile device.”
Robyn Wolf Vorster, Daily Maverick, 12 Dec 2023
What is sexting?
Sexting is the sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone.
When people talk about sexting, they usually refer to sending and receiving:
- naked pictures or ‘nudes.’
- ‘underwear shots’
- sexual or ‘dirty pics’
- rude text messages or videos
‘Sexting’ is often seen as flirting by children and young people who feel that it’s a part of everyday life.
Most young people do not see ‘sexting’ as a problem and are reluctant to talk to adults about it because they are afraid of being judged or having their phones taken away. Sending pictures and inappropriate content has become “normal” teenage behaviour.
NOTE: Sexting is not just sharing a nude picture with someone the teen may know. Suppose you are under 18 years of age, and you are sending nudes of yourself or another child. In that case, you are actively engaging in the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Do kids in SA sext?¹
- Sexting: 69.5% of learners have taken a picture or video of themselves posing in a sexually suggestive way
- Sexting in SA occurs most in the 11 – 13-year-old age group.
- NOTE: the Internet Watch Foundation reported that there was a 360% increase in self-generated sexual imagery of 7 to 10-year-olds from 2020-2022.
Who will see your ‘’sext’’?¹
17% of “sexters” share the messages they receive with others
55% of those share them with more than one person.
¹ Stats from Bureau of Market Research, UNISA. Exposure to online sexual content among secondary learners in Gauteng. (Technical report). The research report no 479.
Why do people “sext”?
You might:
- feel like ‘everyone else is doing it’ and want to fit in with friends – especially if they are boasting about sending or having photos on their mobile phone
- Feel scared to be seen as a nerd, dork, frigid or shy and then go along with things you’re uncomfortable with
- Feel under pressure to “sext” as a way of ‘proving’ your sexuality.
- Feel harassed, threatened or blackmailed into sending pictures.
- Feel it’s easier to ‘give in’ to somebody who keeps asking for things.
- Think you ‘owe’ your boyfriend or girlfriend or are made to feel guilty if you don’t do what they ask you for
- Be in love with the person, trust them completely, and feel it’s okay.
- Have a long-distance or online relationship with someone and want to have a sexual relationship with them.
- Feel proud of your body and want to share it with other people.
The dangers of sexting
Before you send a photo, could you give it some thought first?
What could happen to it? Once you press send, it is no longer in your control. Somebody can post it anywhere on the internet. It could end up on social networking sites or even porn sites. It can be used as revenge porn to hurt you if your relationship breaks up. Is it yours to share?
1) You could end up with a police caution
Sending a naked image of yourself via text message or social media when you’re below the age of 18 is technically illegal. It counts as an offence of distributing an indecent image of a child and is something you could receive a police caution for. You could even end up on the sex offenders register.
2) It’s worse to send a photo of a sexual act
Even though the age of sexual consent is 16, the age for distributing indecent images is 18. That means that a 17-year-old who can legally have sex cannot legally send a naked image.
It’s just as bad for a 15-year-old as a 17-year-old to engage in sexting. But, what’s worse for a 15-year-old is to send a photo showing themselves having sex. It’s illegal for anyone below the age of 16 to have sex, so if the photo shows this, it could lead to doubly dire consequences.
If a 17-year-old sent a “sext” showing them having sex, they’d still be committing an offence by sending a naked image – but it wouldn’t break the law around consent. A 15-year-old doing the same would be committing two offences.
3) An unwanted ”sext” could be seen as a crime
Most people generally send “sexts” and naked selfies with the specific knowledge that the recipient wants to see it – or, at the very least, will not be offended.
But if you do send a naked selfie to someone likely to be upset by it, that could be a crime under the Malicious Communications Act.
Sonn explains: “It’s an offence to send grossly offensive communications to someone else. It’s conceivable that a naked “sext” could offend. Somebody might take offence if you send a picture of a penis to them.
It means that anyone partaking in the trend to send ‘d*** pics’ – or photographs of male genitalia – could be committing a crime, so long as they do it intending to cause harm, distress or anxiety to the recipient.
4) Forwarding them on breaches of civil law
It isn’t just sending “sexts” that can be dangerous – it’s receiving them. If you pass a naked selfie on to someone else, whatever the context, it could lead to a breach of copyright law.
Bazaraa explains: “When you create a photo, as the creator, you automatically become the copyright owner. Anyone who’s taking a risqué picture and sending it to their partner, they’ll own the copyright.”
If the image’s receiver circulates it or posts it on a website, they’re infringing that copyright.
5) You could become a victim of revenge porn
One serious risk of sending explicit pictures is that someone could pass them on – either by circulating them or posting them on a website. Once the pictures are there, it’s hard to get them taken down.
You could approach websites with claims of breaching harassment laws and copyright laws, as well as use the new criminal UK/USA law against revenge porn, but it can still be a challenge to have the photos removed permanently. South Africa does not have laws against revenge porn as such, but you could, however, lay a charge of harassment.
6) You could break the privacy law
Another issue with forwarding images – even without harmful intentions to cause distress – could be that it breaches privacy.
So, can you sext safely?
These points make it clear that sexting can potentially be harmful to the sender and any recipients. If a recipient passes on the image, they could break several civil laws. If someone does it with harmful intentions, it can be classed as a criminal act.
For the sender of a “sext”, it’s worse. Not only are there risks that your photo could be spread to the wider world – whether as an act of revenge porn or unintentionally – but there are legal implications.
If you’re under 18, it is illegal to send a naked picture of yourself. It’s not illegal to be naked with someone, even if you’re 15, but you can’t send that picture. As strange as it seems, it’s the law, and it’s best to know the risks now.
Get help
If your child has been affected by sexting,
Stay calm and supportive.
1. If your child has been sending explicit images or videos of themselves, they are likely to be anxious about talking to you. Give yourself time to process this information, and remember your child will closely watch your reactions.
2. Reassure your child that they are not alone.
3. Listen and offer support – if there is a problem, your child will feel bad and need your help, support and advice, not criticism.
4. Try not to shout or make your child feel like it’s their fault.
5. Don’t ask questions like “Why have you done it?” as this may stop your child from opening up to you.
6. Assure your child that you will do all you can to help.
Agree on your next steps.
1. Ask them who initially sent the image or video and if they know if the image was shared with anyone else.
2. Try to keep any evidence, as someone may need proof later.
3. If someone shared the image or video over the web, contact the website to report it.
4. If the image or video was shared via a mobile phone, contacting the service provider to change your child’s phone number may be helpful.
Could you report it?
If another child forced your child into sending the image or video:
Contact your local Police. Officers can prevent the image from being circulated and take the appropriate action to safeguard your child.
If your child shared the image or video willingly with another child:
1. Talk to your child about the risks of sexting.
2. Discuss contacting the other child or their parents to discuss the situation and prevent circulation.
If the image or video has been shared with an adult:
1. Report it to the FCS unit of your nearest SAPS. (FCS = Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offences )
2. For more support, see our advice on Grooming.
If your child believes the image or video has been circulated online (by a child or adult):
1. Contact Childline South Africa, who may be able to make a report (with their consent) to the Internet Watch Foundation to get the image removed from the internet.
2. Regardless of the situation, you should inform your child’s school. They can monitor the situation and help stop images or videos from being circulated. The school can also offer support to your child and any other children that have been affected.
Get an explicit image removed.
1. If a child has lost control of a sexual image, ask them to get in touch with Childline. Together, Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) will try to get the image removed.
2. Childline has also produced a free app for young people called Zipit, designed to provide them witty images to send in response to a request for explicit photos and advice on staying safe.
Must read:
Selfies, Sexts and Smartphones: A teenager’s online survival guide. Emma Sadleir · Dr Lizzie Harrison. October 2017. ISBN 9781776092758.