{"id":2562,"date":"2025-06-11T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T16:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itlawco.com\/?p=2562"},"modified":"2025-06-11T16:13:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T16:13:00","slug":"reimagining-consent-for-kids-in-south-africas-digital-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itlawco.com\/fr\/reimagining-consent-for-kids-in-south-africas-digital-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Reimagining consent for kids in South Africa\u2019s digital economy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nShe\u2019s 16. Sitting in a sterile clinic room, phone clenched in one hand, courage in the other.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s just told the nurse she wants help. Real help. For the dark thoughts she doesn\u2019t talk about at school.<\/p>\n

The nurse nods. Hands her a tablet.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to register on the app.\u201d<\/p>\n

She taps. Uploads her ID. Starts to fill in her details.<\/p>\n

Then\u2014\u201cPlease enter a parent or guardian\u2019s ID number.\u201d<\/p>\n

She freezes. She doesn\u2019t want her parents to know. That\u2019s the whole point.<\/p>\n

She closes the app. Smiles at the nurse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll come back another time,\u201d she lies.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s not fiction. It\u2019s how we\u2019re designing data rights today in South Africa \u2014 with good intentions and bad outcomes.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s the moment the penny dropped.<\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) defaults to requiring parental consent\u2014called competent person<\/em> consent\u2014for anyone under 18. It\u2019s designed to protect minors. But in today\u2019s hyper-digital world, it\u2019s often doing the opposite.<\/p>\n

The problem: consent is broken by design<\/h2>\n

We see it every week:<\/p>\n