2026· International journal of research and innovation in social science· 0 citations
Abstract
In today’s world, community is no longer defined solely by geography, it’s defined by connection. In Zimbabwe the digital expansion has caused a severe public health and human crisis. Harassment in the digital era reveals a 75% of students reported having intimidating. The Zimbabwean government enacted the Cyber and Data Protection Act [Chapter 12:07] and the National Child Online Protection Policy (2026 – 2030 to protect its citizen in the digital era. Studies have highlighted the impact cyberbullying has on the victim’s mental health, self-esteem and academic performance. This paper reviews the Zimbabwe’s policy and proposes recommendations to help mitigate cyberbullying in communities. Our sense of belonging plays a huge role in mental and emotional wellbeing. That is why using community psychology principles of prevention, empowerment and ecological perspective can help build healthy communities were digital misuse is lessened.
There is a significant contradic-tion between the recognition of the high severity of cyberbullying and the low level of parents’ awareness of its specific forms and prevention methods, which is conditioned by the volume of digital capital in the family.
A. Bateeva· Теория и практика общественн...· 0 citations
The integration of DICTs in formal or non-formal educational settings transcends instrumental access to devices, requiring public policies for critical digital literacy aimed at asserting the dignity, autonomy, and cyber-citizenship of the elderly.
José Carlos de Oliveira Silva, Samuel Arruda Arcanjo, Maxiel Alves De Oliveira et al.· International Seven Journa...· 0 citations
Cyberbullying has become an increasing concern within higher education, particularly since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, when university students began extensively utilising digital communication platforms for both academic and social interaction. This study examines students’ experiences of cyberbullying at a university in the Eastern Cape through the lens of Ubuntu [I am because we are]. Ubuntu emphasises human interconnectedness, harmony, respect and moral responsibility among individuals. A qualitative research design was employed to gain an in-depth understanding of students’ experiences of cyberbullying. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 15 participants who had experience of cyberbullying. Data were collected through three focus group discussions, each comprising five participants. Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Three key findings emerged from the analysis: (1) participants reported various forms of harassment, including public humiliation, threats and the spread of private information, which resulted in anxiety, social retreat and academic disengagement, (2) to cope with harassment, participants utilised strategies such as blocking bullies, deactivating social media accounts and seeking peer support and (3) participants suggested Ubuntu-informed restorative initiatives such as perpetrator education and awareness campaigns rather than solely punitive measures.
Contribution: The study contributes to emerging decolonial scholarship on cyberbullying within South African higher institutions. It demonstrates how an Ubuntu-informed framework offers a culturally relevant lens for understanding online harm, students’ coping strategies and institutional responses to cyberbullying in higher education.
Mqokeleli Zaza, M. Makupula· Inkanyiso· 0 citations