Study of Cyberbullying Among Secondary School Students in Kano State

Cyberbullying has emerged as a significant harm among Nigerian adolescents as smartphone penetration and social media use expand among secondary school populations in northern cities, with inadequate regulatory and institutional responses. This study examined cyberbullying prevalence, forms, and consequences among secondary school students in Kano Municipal and Nassarawa Local Government Areas, Kano State, North West Nigeria. A descriptive survey was conducted among 300 Senior Secondary School students from six schools using stratified random sampling. The Cyber Victimisation and Perpetration Scale adapted for Nigerian adolescents was administered. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results showed a cyberbullying victimisation prevalence of 38.7 percent and perpetration acknowledgement of 22.3 percent. WhatsApp harassment (54.3 percent of cyberbullying incidents) and Instagram shaming (31.7 percent) were the dominant forms. Psychological consequences among victims included academic performance decline (68.1 percent), anxiety and depression symptoms (62.1 percent), and school avoidance (27.6 percent). Disclosure to adults was made by only 23.3 percent of victims. Female students showed higher victimisation rates while male students showed higher perpetration rates. Students with parental monitoring of online activity showed significantly lower victimisation rates (p < 0.01). The study recommends school anti-cyberbullying policies, digital literacy and online safety curricula, counsellor training in cyberbullying response, and parental digital monitoring guidance in Kano State schools. Keywords: cyberbullying, secondary school students, Kano State, online harassment, digital safety