South African legal team reaches historic agreement with Meta on child protection

Digital Law Co secures unprecedented legal commitment from Meta to remove exploitative content and strengthen protections for minors online.

Emma Sadleir and the legal team outside the Johannesburg High Court after protecting the rights of children who are being exploited on social media. Photo: Facebook. 

In a significant breakthrough for digital safety in South Africa, Digital Law Co (DLC) has reached a binding legal agreement with Meta, the parent company of Instagram and WhatsApp, aimed at removing exploitative content involving minors and preventing its future circulation.

The agreement follows two weeks of intense legal action led by Emma Sadleir and her team at DLC, which sought the removal of graphic posts involving South African schoolchildren shared on Meta-owned platforms. As part of a consent order granted by the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, Meta has committed to a series of measures designed to address child exploitation on its platforms.

Under the terms of the order, Meta will permanently delete Instagram accounts and WhatsApp Channels reported by DLC, to the extent technically possible. These efforts aim to cut off public access to abusive material and support the legal rights of the victims involved.

Additionally, Meta has agreed to disclose user information linked to over 60 offending accounts, allowing affected families to pursue legal recourse where appropriate.

According to a report from IOL, the agreement also includes the creation of a direct two-year communication channel between DLC and Meta. This dedicated hotline is intended to speed up responses to urgent child protection cases and ensure that similar content is addressed swiftly going forward.

"This case demonstrates how the legal system can be a proactive force for good, not just to defend, but to disrupt harm at its source," said Sadleir. "We believe this marks the first time a global tech company has accepted such terms in writing and through a South African court process."

Although progress has already been made, with some data shared by Meta and several accounts taken down, DLC emphasized that the work is far from over. As technology evolves, so do digital threats.

Rorke Wilson of DLC added that the early results of the hotline have been encouraging, with takedowns occurring more quickly and suspected perpetrators losing traction before their accounts gain significant reach.

"This is a strong step in the right direction, and we believe South Africa is safer for it," Sadleir concluded.