Kids get up to new kinds of mischief these days.
In today’s high-tech world, laaities have access to cellphones, tablets, the internet and social media.
Babies are barely able to walk and talk, but they know how to use their little fingers to scroll and open and close cellphone apps.
When they’re toddlers, they’re already playing cartoons on YouTube.
They even figure out how to turn their daddy’s data on and off!
When they’re primary school-going age, they’re all about the game apps.
Up till then, it’s all innocent fun.
But when they reach their teen years, that’s when the trouble starts.
Once the hormones kick in, and the need for social acceptance, tjommies, boyfriends and girlfriends arises, the technology takes on a whole new purpose.
Then the youngsters are 24/7 on Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.
The ougat meisies get all done up for their Kim Kardashian selfies.
The stoute laaities pose with their brasse, making all sorts of gang hand signs.
It’s an online popularity contest, almal soek aandag, and it gets out of hand.
It started out a few years ago with chat rooms like MXit and OuToilet, where the young skollies would reportedly organise attacks on their “enemies”.
Now all the action is on social media.
There’s a new phenomenon call “cyber bullying” where kids intimidate and taunt other kids online.
It’s a serious thing.
GOOD USE: Atlantis learner Batandwa Mgutsi, 16, created a free study app for pupils who do not have any textbooks
In the past two years there have been multiple cases in the news of kids behaving badly online.
Schoolkids are all too ready to make videos of their antics - from vuilbek verbal attacks to vicious school fights and even sex clips - and share them with their online friends.
What they don’t realise is that social media apps are public platforms, and before they know it, they’re in trouble with the authorities.
Parents need to be aware of these digital dangers, and just as they need to monitor their children’s real-life activities, it’s important to check on what their kids are getting up to on their cellphones.
With all this stuff happening online, you wonder where laaities find the time to focus on their schoolwork.
One kid, who is having no such trouble, is Batandwa Mgutsi, a Grade 10 learner at Robinvale High School in Atlantis.
This 16-year-old star pupil has put his tech-savviness to good use by developing a study app.
The free software gives learners easy access to learning material for subjects like Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Sciences, Technology, Business Studies and Natural Sciences.
“Most children in my class did not have textbooks and many could not do their work. I sat and thought I could help them as I love computers, software and programming,” says the teen.
“During the June holidays, I sat up to four hours a day to complete the app which took two three weeks to make.”
Isn’t that amazing?
Batandwa would like all disadvantaged learners to benefit from his app.
The problem is a lot of schools, including his own, do not have WiFi for internet access.
Munier reckons this sounds like a job for the Western Cape Education Department.
Help Batandwa to get his worthy initiative off the ground, and sommer see if you can organise some WiFi for the laaities while you’re at it.