The Double-Edged Screen: How Social Media Shapes Academic Performance Among Secondary School Students in Yaoundé

Background For adolescents in Yaoundé, Cameroon, social media is no longer just a pastime—it's a classroom, a playground, and sometimes a battlefield. With mobile internet penetration at 37.8% in 2020 and climbing, secondary school students navigate a digital world that mixes learning, entertainment, and social pressures. While these platforms can boost learning, they also distract, expose students to cyberbullying, and blur the boundaries between study and screen time.