ARTICLES
DOI DOI: 10.66434/ijspsy.v6i2.475

Exploring the influence of social media bullying on learners’ Social Emotional Learning and academic performance at secondary schools in the Oshana Region, Namibia

Aune Ndeumona Sam1, Tadeus Shikukumwa1, Gilbert Likando1
  1. 1 University of Namibia, Namibia

Abstract

This study explores how social media bullying influences high school learners’ social-emotional learning and academic performance in secondary schools in the Oshana Region, Namibia.  It employed a qualitative research approach using a phenomenological design, in which focus group interviews were conducted to understand each participant’s life experience.  Forty-four key informants, comprising four Life skills teachers and forty learners in grade 9, were selected, supplemented by secondary data from desktop research. The findings revealed that a significant number of learners were bullied through different social media platforms, and it had negative implications on their social-emotional learning, mental health, and academic performance. Furthermore, the study showed that the effects of social media bullying had far-reaching consequences on most of the learners’ social and emotional well-being, because bullied learners were more likely to lose their self-identity, drop out of school, and harbor suicidal thoughts. Life skills teachers emphasised that the current state of social media bullying activities in schools demands robust interventions that include creating technology-enabled awareness about social media bullying, developing resilient skills among bullied learners, and finding prevention and management strategies to fight cyberbullying. The findings show no evidence that schools had effective prevention or intervention programmes to minimize social media bullying. The study concluded that the well-being of learners in schools continues to be at risk because cyber-bullying goes on unabated, and it is negatively affecting the psychological and academic progression of learners. Therefore, this study recommends robust awareness programmes, such as the use of online platforms to educate and raise awareness about social media bullying. Indeed, technology should not only be used for bullying but should be the primary way of anti-bullying campaigns.

How to Cite

Sam, A. N., Shikukumwa, T., & Likando, G. (2026). Exploring the influence of social media bullying on learners’ Social Emotional Learning and academic performance at secondary schools in the Oshana Region, Namibia. International Journal of Studies in Psychology, 6(2), 38–44. https://doi.org/10.66434/ijspsy.v6i2.475
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