For generations, adults dismissed teenage cruelty as a messy, inevitable rite of passage; a digital version of passing nasty notes in class.
But landmark research from Stellenbosch University reveals a far darker reality: 63.9% of South African high schoolers are trapped in aggressive cycles of online abuse, creating a psychological and legal crisis that traditional schoolyard discipline was never built to handle.
The numbers behind the screen
A groundbreaking study published in the South African Journal of Information Management by Professor Daniel le Roux of Stellenbosch University and Camryn Twaddle of Artefact South Africa reveals the startling presence of online abuse among South African youth.
Surveying high school learners across affluent, fee-paying Quintile 5 schools, the researchers uncovered that nearly two-thirds (63.9%) of teenagers have been directly involved in cyberbullying.
While 19.9% were victims only and 6.7% were sole perpetrators, a staggering 37.3% acted as both victims and perpetrators, trapped in cycles of online retaliation and social jockeying.
"We can no longer view cyberbullying simply as an extension of traditional bullying," explains Seshni Moodley, an attorney and digital law specialist.
"Technology has fundamentally changed the scale, speed and permanence of abuse. A hurtful comment or humiliating photograph that once reached a small group can now be distributed to thousands within minutes."
Platforms, patterns and the Grade 8 spike
The study highlighted distinct gender patterns and platform dynamics.
Girls reported higher rates of being insulted and having rumours spread about them, predominantly on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Boys, who favoured platforms like Discord, Reddit, YouTube and X, were more likely to engage in online threats and the non-consensual sharing of inappropriate media.
Crucially, cyberbullying spiked dramatically among younger teenagers. Roughly three-quarters (75%) of Grade 8 learners reported involvement, compared to roughly half of Grade 12s. Researchers attribute this to Grade 8s navigating high school transitions while gaining fresh access to social media, often resorting to impulsive, emotionally driven online tactics to secure peer validation and navigate social hierarchies.
The consequences extend straight into the classroom. Victims reported significantly lower levels of happiness, reduced perseverance and declining academic performance.
"Online experiences, emotions and academic achievement are deeply interconnected," the researchers noted, emphasising that academic drops are often an invisible symptom of hidden online distress.
Legal consequences of cyberbullying in South Africa
As cyberbullying ravages mental health and school performance, victims and parents are increasingly looking to the court system for protection.
South Africa’s legal framework has made massive strides with the introduction of the Cybercrimes Act (Act 19 of 2020).
The Act explicitly criminalises harmful data messages, specifically those inciting damage, threatening violence, or disclosing non-consensual intimate photographs (popularly known as revenge porn).
Complementing this is the Protection from Harassment Act (Act 17 of 2011), which allows victims to seek urgent civil Protection Orders from magistrates' courts without needing an expensive attorney.
However, legal experts warn that a statutory law is only as strong as its enforcement.
"In practice, one of the greatest challenges is not the absence of legislation, but the ability to move efficiently from initial complaint to the preservation of evidence and prosecution," says Moodley.
"Digital evidence disappears rapidly. Accounts are deleted, profiles are anonymous and international platforms often drag their feet."
Furthermore, when minors are involved, criminal law takes a back seat to the Child Justice Act, which prioritises rehabilitation and restorative justice over punitive measures.
"It is also important to recognise that cyberbullying can involve more than one participant. A child who creates the original material may be one actor, but other children who deliberately distribute, amplify or participate in the harassment can also contribute significantly to the harm.
"There may additionally be questions concerning the responsibilities of parents, caregivers and schools, depending on the circumstances. Schools should therefore not treat cyberbullying merely as a disciplinary matter.
"Where a learner’s dignity, safety or ability to access education is affected, we are dealing with a much broader safeguarding and human-rights issue," says Moodley.
Deepfakes and AI harassment
The law faces an even steeper uphill battle with the rapid rise of generative AI. Automated harassment, fake accounts and AI-generated intimate deepfakes are becoming weaponised in schoolyard rivalries.
"A victim may be threatened with an intimate image that is entirely synthetic," Moodley warns.
"The image may be fake, but the fear, humiliation, reputational damage and psychological harm are terrifyingly real. The law cannot focus exclusively on whether an image is authentic; it must address the harm caused by creating and threatening to distribute synthetic material."
"South Africa has a foundation, but I believe our laws and enforcement mechanisms need to continue evolving alongside the technology. We need clearer rules concerning AI-generated intimate material, deepfakes, impersonation, platform responsibility, authentication of digital evidence and cross-border enforcement.
"At the same time, regulation must be carefully drafted so that legitimate freedom of expression and technological innovation are not unnecessarily restricted."
Education
The traditional advice given to young internet users is no longer enough to protect them from the harsh realities of the modern web. Moodley stresses that true safety requires replacing vague warnings with concrete legal literacy for both pupils and parents.
"Children are often told, 'Be careful what you post', but that is not sufficient. They need to understand that what happens online can have consequences in the real world, including legal consequences."
Children and adults should be educated about:
- Consent before sharing photographs or personal information.
- The consequences of threats and intimidation.
- The unlawful sharing of intimate images.
- Impersonation and fake accounts.
- Cyberstalking.
- Online defamation and reputational harm.
- The dangers of forwarding harmful content.
- Digital footprints and the permanence of online material.
- The importance of preserving evidence and reporting abuse.
"One of the most important misconceptions I encounter is the belief that deleting a message means the conduct disappears. It does not necessarily disappear. Screenshots, downloads, backups, server records and other forms of digital evidence may remain.
"Digital literacy programmes should therefore be introduced and strengthened in schools, with confidential reporting mechanisms, trained educators and peer-led initiatives. Parents also need digital education.
"We cannot expect children to navigate an increasingly complex digital environment safely if the adults responsible for them do not understand the platforms, risks and legal consequences themselves," says Moodley.
How should victims respond?
For teenagers and parents caught in the crosshairs of digital abuse, Moodley outlines crucial practical steps to secure evidence before hitting delete:
1. Screenshot the material: Capture the complete message, username, profile, date, time and relevant surrounding conversation.
2. Preserve URLs and account information: Where possible, record the URL to the offending post or profile and the username or account identifier.
3. Make a screen recording where appropriate: A recording showing how the material is accessed can provide useful contextual evidence.
4. Preserve the original communications: Do not rely solely on screenshots. Keep original emails, WhatsApp messages, attachments and other relevant digital records.
5. Do not retaliate: Once the evidence has been secured, avoid engaging in an escalating online argument. A victim’s response can later become part of the evidential record.
6. Report the offending content to the platform: Keep a record of the report and any reference number provided.
7. Consider a Protection from Harassment Act application: Where the circumstances amount to harassment, a victim can approach the appropriate magistrates’ court for protection and, where justified, seek urgent interim protection.
8. Report potentially criminal conduct to SAPS. Where there are threats, extortion, stalking, unlawful disclosure of intimate material or other potentially criminal conduct, the matter should be formally reported. The victim should retain the CAS or reference number.
9. Obtain legal advice early: A lawyer can assist in determining whether the conduct potentially amounts to an offence under the Cybercrimes Act or another criminal law, whether a protection order is appropriate and whether civil remedies should also be considered.
10. If a child is involved, involve the appropriate adults immediately: Parents, caregivers and the school should be notified where the conduct affects the child’s safety, dignity or education.
"Where intimate images or deepfakes are involved, I would emphasise urgency. Do not forward the material unnecessarily. Preserve what is necessary as evidence, but do not become another person distributing the harmful content," warns Moodley.
"Victims need to know that they do not have to deal with online abuse alone. If the conduct is causing genuine fear, humiliation, reputational damage or emotional distress, it should not be dismissed simply because it happened behind a screen.
Digital conduct has real-world consequences, and our legal response must reflect that reality."
alyssia.birjalal@nationalmg.co.za