RENE MATTHEUS
Rene Matthews is a cybercrime and technology attorney based in Cape Town, South Africa, specialising in online safety for children, parents and schools. She practises at Rudi Heydenrych & Associates and runs her own consultancy, Pattern Interrupt Consulting, where she focuses on practical, legally sound responses to cyberbullying, sextortion and other online harms.
Rene is the African Regional Director for the Real Safety AI Foundation in the United States and a collaborator with the Online Safety Forum in the United Kingdom, contributing to global conversations on AI, child protection and digital risk. She is also the founder of “Keep Me Safe Online,” an education initiative that equips adults and young people with clear guidance on preventing and responding to online harm.
As a speaker, Rene is known for her calm, professional and engaging style, turning complex legal and technical issues into concrete actions for schools, organisations and families.
Raising Tech Resilient Kids in a High Risk Online World
Shows parents how to balance protection and independence, covering key online risks, practical boundaries, and when behaviour becomes unlawful or needs escalation.
Cyberbullying and Sextortion, A Legal and Practical Survival Guide for Schools
Equips school leaders and educators with clear duties, reporting steps, evidence guidelines and policy essentials when learners are harmed online.
WhatsApp, Class Groups and School Liability
Explains where school responsibility starts and ends on messaging apps, and offers concrete rules, sample wording and response checklists for everyday incidents.
Children, AI and Online Safety, What Parents and Schools Need to Know Now
Demystifies AI tools and their safety risks, highlighting realistic safeguards and emerging global standards that families and schools can apply now.
From Policy to Practice, Implementing Child Online Safety Frameworks That Actually Work
Shows how to turn legal and regulatory requirements into simple processes, workflows and training that staff and parents can actually follow.
Digital Footprints, Reputation and the Law for Teens and Young Adults
Helps young people understand consent, image sharing, harmful content and long term consequences, with clear guidance on what to do when things go wrong.
Managing Employee Social Media and Messaging Risks, A Legal Primer for HR and Leadership
Provides leaders with a structured view of legal risks, monitoring boundaries and practical steps for investigations, discipline and prevention.
Creating a Culture of Safe Digital Communication in Organisations
Focuses on norms, reporting channels and response practices that reduce internal cyberbullying, harassment and reputational harm across digital platforms.
Empowering Under Resourced Schools to Protect Learners Online
Offers low cost, high impact measures, priority actions and simple documentation practices so resource constrained schools can still act effectively.
Practical Legal Steps When Things Go Wrong Online, A Guide for Parents and Guardians
Gives a calm, step by step action plan for parents facing online harm, from preserving evidence to engaging schools, platforms and legal processes.
For parents and caregivers
• Clear understanding of the main online risks children face (including cyberbullying, sextortion and harmful content) and which behaviours may cross into criminal or unlawful territory.
• Practical scripts, boundaries and checklists they can use immediately at home to guide conversations, set rules and respond calmly when something goes wrong.
• Step by step guidance on what to do in the first hours and days after discovering online harm, including what evidence to keep, who to contact and how to support a child emotionally and legally.
For schools and educators
• Clarity on when the school has a duty to act, what “reasonable steps” look like in practice and how this links to policies, codes of conduct and privacy obligations.
• Ready to use tools, for example sample policy clauses, WhatsApp and class group rules, reporting forms and incident response workflows that can be adapted to their context.
• Increased confidence in handling difficult conversations with parents, learners and authorities, with a better sense of when to keep matters internal and when to escalate.
For teens and young adults
• A realistic, non judgmental understanding of digital footprints, consent, image sharing and online reputation, including potential legal consequences.
• Practical strategies to reduce risk, support friends and seek help early, framed in language that feels relatable rather than punitive.
• Knowledge of concrete options if they are targeted or have made a mistake, so they feel less trapped and more empowered to act.
For organisations and leaders
• A structured view of how employee and learner online behaviour can create legal, reputational and human risk across social media and messaging platforms.
• Actionable guidance on policies, training, monitoring boundaries and investigation steps that balance rights and responsibilities.
• Practical ideas for building a culture of safe digital communication, where people know how to raise concerns and leaders know how to respond ,consistently.
Overall value
Across all audiences, the talks provide a combination of legal guidance, technological understanding and emotionally grounded, real world examples. People walk away not just more informed, but with a small set of concrete actions they can implement the same day to make their homes, schools and organisations safer online.
