The cases of children being indirectly and directly exposed to substance abuse are becoming more common.
This is according to Sadag’s substance use co-ordinator, Tebogo Ramadiro, speaking after a video went viral showing a toddler being coerced to smoke what is believed to be “a harmful substance”.
The toddler's mother and three men were arrested and will appear in court.
The four face charges of attempted murder and child abuse related to the incident.
Ramadiro said the effects are both immediate and long-term, affecting the child’s psychological development.
“It is when the child is exposed to substance abuse, whether they witness it, experience neglect or are actively given the drugs, this severely affects their development, as we know that the brain fully develops at the age of 25,” he said.
He said these children are more likely to experience emotional and psychological trauma, disrupted attachment, and trust issues.
He said this also affects their academic performance and behavioural problems such as aggression and anxiety.
“When you look at intergenerational trauma and substance use, children raised where substance abuse is normalised often internalise this behaviour, and this increases the likelihood of them using substances as teenagers or adults,” he said.
He added that without any intervention or psychosocial support, the cycle continues. This means the problem not only affects individuals but their families and communities for generations to come.
“One needs to change. There is that urgent need for increased awareness in our homes, schools and clinics and also parenting programmes to help the parents struggling with addiction to access mental health support,” he said.
Children who witness parental substance use often experience mistrust, confusion, shame, guilt, fear and low self-esteem.
— Megan Briede, director of programmes at Save the Children South Africa
“We encourage families and caregivers to seek help early for themselves and their children. No child should have their innocence stolen by their exposure to addiction,” he said.
Megan Briede, director of programmes at Save the Children South Africa, echoed Ramadiro’s sentiments.
She said exposure to drugs, neglect and harmful environments in childhood has long-term consequences on physical, cognitive, psychological and social development.
She said children exposed to such conditions may later face developmental delays in language, cognition and social-emotional functioning.
This may also include mental health issues like anxiety, depression, PTSD and emotional dysregulation.
She added there were risks of chronic health conditions, including substance use disorders and sexually transmitted infections.
“Disrupted relationships and poor social skills due to early attachment trauma. Educational failure and unemployment due to impaired concentration, low academic performance and involvement in crime, gang activity or risky sexual behaviour,” could all become part of the picture, she said.
Briede said a long-term study found that even children with no previous behavioural problems who were exposed to drugs or alcohol before age 15 were more likely to suffer from adult substance dependence, herpes infection, early pregnancy, school dropout and criminal convictions.
She said direct or indirect exposure to drugs, whether through use, household environments, or exploitation in trafficking, can cause brain damage, which includes impaired development of memory, attention and learning capacity.
She added that physical health issues include respiratory, liver and immune system damage.
“Children who witness parental substance use often experience mistrust, confusion, shame, guilt, fear and low self-esteem.
“These emotions impair healthy identity formation and emotional regulation,” she said.
She added that without any intervention, children exposed to drugs often fall into a cycle of intergenerational trauma and poverty.
Save the Children South Africa advocates that universal prevention and multisectoral support are essential to break the cycle and protect children from lifelong harm.
Its community-led response offers a sustainable solution to the early identification and prevention of child neglect and the impact of substance abuse by centring communities, notably children themselves, as agents of change.
“This approach builds local capacity to recognise and respond to early warning signs through grassroots engagement, while reinforcing accountability among caregivers, service providers and local structures,” she added.
Magda Reynolds, a national business and development manager at the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro), said there are factors to consider concerning the impact on the child.
“Substance use has a genetic component, so if the parents are using, the child may be genetically predisposed to addiction behaviours.
“Parents using drugs in front of children normalise that behaviour for children. The health impacts of being exposed to substances are vast — depending on substances — cardiovascular problems and problems with brain development,” she said.
She said these children, without adult support, may struggle in school, and, if they've been exposed to substances, may struggle due to brain development problems.
She added that emotional dysregulation and psychological impact would also be vast and potentially a child would struggle with anger or anxiety.
“[How they function] Later in life would depend on situation to situation — was there a sober adult they could live with, or who could support them?” she asked. Building meaningful relations may prove difficult.
“Best protection against substance abuse is being aware of the harm it can cause and seeking help for yourself or your family member,” she said.
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