Moxii Africa is deeply saddened by the loss of 13 children’s  lives as a result of a deadly road collision in Vanderbijlpark. We are keeping all those impacted by this appalling loss of life in our thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.  

In an age of social media, vulnerable moments such as grief and mourning are unfortunately not private. We have seen several AI-generated images, falsely claiming to depict the children who lost their lives being circulated online. While there is little doubt that people can and should express their support for the families and grief over what has happened, there is no evidence that the images of the children used are those who were involved in the accident, nor is there any evidence that such images have been shared with the consent of the families. It is likely that such images have been created in order to engagement farm leading to the suppression of  sincere messages of sympathy and condolences. Such images are instead being utilized to encourage clicks and likes. It is perverse that anyone would seek to gain from such a horrific loss of life. We therefore encourage people to check and verify before sharing any such images and to keep the affected families’ privacy in mind before clicking share.  

Creating and spreading false images of children is deeply hurtful to the families and loved ones of those who have lost a child. Such images may cause further trauma to grieving families, as they may be viewed as disrespecting the memory of those who have passed. They may also  contribute to the spread of misinformation.

We also urge users to share with caution the images and videos of family members mourning their loved ones that are being circulated online. The loss of a loved one is painful enough without having one’s private despair being shared publicly across social media.  

We urge everyone to:

• Stop sharing false or unverified images
• Verify information before reposting
• Think about the real-world impact of what we share online
• Become an active participant in shaping the future of platform governance and information integrity in Africa by submitting your inputs into the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights’ Resolution 630 here

Let us act online with care, responsibility, and humanity, especially when children and loss are involved.

For more information contact:
Noor Ahmad - Communications Manager
noora@mma.org.za | +27 11 788 1278
https://moxiiafrica.org/ | @moxiiafrica

About Moxii Africa
Moxii Africa’s vision is to strive for open and trusted information and to build an accessible, accountable, and transparent information ecosystem we can trust. We aim to ensure accountability, open information, promote safety, empower the public, and instill information integrity in South Africa and the rest of the continent.
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