FPB urges parents to shield children from harmful content

The board's Acting chief executive Ephraim Tlhako briefed Parliament's  Economic Development and Trade Committee on Tuesday.

 Tlhako told Members of Parliament (MP) that the board continued to receive complaints about explicit or violent material—some of it targeted at children and even distributed under the guise of popular cartoons.

 “At taxi ranks, vendors sell DVDs labelled "Cocomelon"—but the content is hardcore pornography,” he warned.

Tlhako said while enforcement remains a key focus, families and communities play a crucial role.

“If a stranger came to your door asking to meet your seven-year-old in their bedroom, you’d say no. But when we give our children internet-connected devices, we’re unknowingly allowing them to communicate with millions of strangers worldwide.”

He said the FPB is working with the Department of Basic Education to host school workshops focused on cyber safety, online grooming, and reporting harmful content.

Tlhako also encouraged more proactive use of parental control settings and content filters by both caregivers and platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

He told MPs that the board is drafting new amendments to its legislation to close gaps in regulating live-streamed violence, revenge porn, and gender-based abuse.

 Tlhako said current laws don’t go far enough in giving the board teeth to act against repeat offenders or unregistered online distributors.

The FPB’s Child Protection Unit, made up of social workers and content analysts, works closely with the South African Police Service to investigate cases of child sexual abuse material.

 “The material is deeply disturbing. Our teams analyse it, compile reports for prosecutors, and often testify in court. Since April, we’ve assisted in several successful convictions,” said Tlhako.

But the dark web remains a major blind spot.

“While we can issue takedown notices on public platforms, a lot of the harmful material is traded on encrypted sites where we currently lack technical capacity.”

To address this, the FPB wants more funding, partnerships, and AI-driven tools to support its staff and boost enforcement. 

“Our officers carry a heavy emotional load,” Tlhako added.

 “We’re offering psychosocial support—but we also need smarter tech to reduce their exposure.”

The board is also pushing for more consistent standards across social media platforms, where what's banned on one app may be allowed on another.

 “We’re engaging platforms to align their age-gating and classification tools with our guidelines.”

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