A photo that recently went viral on social media had me thinking very seriously about society’s sexualisation of children. A Gauteng-based businessman and activist triggered severe backlash after he posted a photo of himself, his five-year-old daughter and his nine-year-old granddaughter taking a bath.

He explained that he was preparing the children for school as part of his parental duties. While some saw nothing wrong with the image, which has since been removed by Facebook on account of the many reports or complaints that the site received, a significant number of people found it problematic and referred to it as “indecent”...