‘Parenting the Screenager’: Emma Sadleir to speak at ISWB

The International School of Walvis Bay (ISWB) will be hosting South Africa’s leading expert in social media law, Emma Sadleir, who will be giving a presentation on “Parenting the Screenager.”The talk is set for 25 July 2024 at the Walvis Bay Community Church at 19:00.Sadleir founded The Digital Law Company, which specializes in educating and advising corporates, employees, schools, parents, teachers, and universities on the legal, disciplinary, and reputational risks of social media.ISWB school counsellor Martella Diederiks stated that as teachers and educators, they are extremely concerned about the activities of students and young people in general on social media, and, in fact, on all digital platforms available to them.“They are completely uninformed about the possible legal complications and consequences of the photos, pictures, and messages they post on social media. The questions we need to ask ourselves are: Do I really know what my child is busy with or involved in on social media? Am I fully aware of the possible legal actions against an individual (my child) due to activities/posts on social media? Am I informed enough to guide/warn my child against the dangers of posts/activities on social media and digital platforms? Do I still believe that it will not happen to me or my child?”Diederiks, who has been a school counsellor for more than 25 years, has come across a few incidents of learners spending hours on social media or being sucked into the world of pornography through dubious sites on social media.“I have a system in place where learners can call me anonymously, and we have a conversation. There are quite a number of incidents where children are left unsupervised, and we felt it was time to have a serious conversation with our parents. They can’t leave the sole responsibility to the school when it comes to their child’s behaviours or after-school activities.”Principal of the International School of Walvis Bay, Mrs. Henda Meyer, added that giving a phone to a young child is like giving a gun to someone with criminal intent.“What happens at home can clearly be seen in a child’s behaviour at school. I once had a learner tell me that she spends five hours on TikTok. As a parent, it is important to know what our children are up to.”Meyer stated that they felt, as a school, it is their social responsibility to host such a talk.“AI is rampant, and we cannot restrict our children or simply decide no more phones or screens. It is thus important that we be educated on what happens on these sites. We cannot simply ignore and say that ‘this won’t ever happen to me or my child.’ We want to give our parents and the community at large the necessary tools to navigate the world we are in right now.”Meyer emphasized that better control needs to be practiced.“Social media uses the brain as food, feeding off it. For human beings, connection is of utmost importance, and the only way to foster connection is through conversation, not through our phones or social media.”“We are living in a constantly evolving world. There are constantly new things happening, and it’s up to us to take a step back, sit down, take a breath, and think about what is really happening around us. Let’s stop for a moment and just breathe; life is very fast and demanding.”Tickets are N$100 available at the school, the sole purpose of which is to cover the running costs of the event.

‘Parenting the Screenager’: Emma Sadleir to speak at ISWB

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Republikein 2025-07-07

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‘Parenting the Screenager’: Emma Sadleir to speak at ISWB

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