Social Media and Secondary School Students: How Online Engagement Affects Agricultural Science Academic Performance

Social media's rise has revolutionized how students engage, learn, and communicate. While social media offers benefits such as collaboration, networking, and information sharing, it also poses risks to academic success. This study investigates the impact of social media on academic performance among senior secondary school students in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. A survey of 300 S.S.2 students revealed that over half engage with social media daily. The primary purposes of social media use were sharing photos and videos (24.3%), accessing current events and news (20.7%), and learning new skills. However, only 37% of students used social media for academic purposes. Smartphones were the preferred device for accessing social media, with 82.3% of students using them, despite concerns about distractions, cyberbullying, and negative mental health effects. The study found a negligible relationship (r = 0.057, p>0.05) between social media use and academic performance in agricultural science. This suggests that social media use does not significantly impact academic achievement in this subject area. However, the study emphasizes the need for responsible social media guidelines and collaboration between educators, parents, and students to balance the benefits and risks of social media on academic engagement. Further research is recommended to better understand the nuanced relationship between social media usage, assessment practices, and academic outcomes in specific educational contexts. This study highlights the need for targeted strategies to promote responsible and purposeful social media use, ensuring it supports rather than hinders students' achievement in agricultural science.