Internet misfits: The next epidemic
Bantu Piet | Monday August 24, 2026 15:42
Like many of her peers in the middle-class, she has two kids, has big dreams, and has cut ties with her village relatives, including the uncles, whose economic status are way below hers.
Her firstborn is attending junior secondary school, whilst the youngest is doing standard two at an English Medium School. The ‘baby daddy’ of the first child lives hundreds of kilometers away and is not as successful as Peggy, and they have long separated.
Peggy’s children are a generation that was born and raised in the era of the internet and smart-phones, and every time she wants to enjoy her freedom, she gladly hands over the phone to the nagging younger child. The first born already owns a smartphone and lives “independently” from her mother. The father of the second child is also doing well economically, and visits Peggy regularly.
Whatever the content they consume from their phones, is the least of their mother’s concerns. Afterall, they spend most of their time with the home helper, and the family only meets in the evening during the week.
Not only is Peggy not bothered by what content her children consume, she is in total darkness about the impact the content has in the development of their mental health. Peggy is among the thousands of young parents who have delegated the smartphone and television to raise their children on their behalf.
According to a 2024 Botswana Household Access and Individual Use of ICTs Survey by Statistics Botswana, internet access has gone up to 70 percent of the population. Several internet providers have set up in the country and gadgets are galore, making it easy for many households to either have a smart-phone, a laptop, internet television channels to access content.
“Of households with children under 15 who have internet access, 45.9% reported that children used the internet. YouTube, search engines, and TikTok are the most popular platforms among children. ICT E-Waste: 40.9% of households reported having unused or obsolete ICT equipment, with mobile phones being the most common,” reads the Statistics Botswana report.
In 2022, the government rolled out laptops for students senior secondary schools, in a bid to make life easy for them to do their assignments. This has become a nightmare for their families as the content they consumer has now become a curse.
There are approximately 210 junior secondary schools and 32 senior secondary schools with an estimated population of 300,000 students. An estimated quarter of a million students consume unfiltered content everyday – at home and school.
Very concerned is the MP for Mmopane Metsimotlhabe, Pushy Manyeneng who says she has received complaints from parents that their children are out of control and should not be allowed to take home their laptops.
Is it too late to complain? Yes, she agrees. The parents are the same people like Peggy who have used the television, laptop, or a smartphone to keep their young children engaged, oblivious of the future consequences of the consequences of the content they watch.
“The parents are complaining that their children use these gadgets to access content they are watching online that include pornography, drugs, violence, and they even share some tips with their elder brothers or uncles for jobs overseas. “Some of them take this information and use it to look for jobs, this is why we have Batswana fighting in Ukraine etc. There was supposed to be engagement of parents before the government rolled out these gadgets,” she said.
In a recent parliamentary question, the MP asked the Minister of Communications and Innovation whether it is possible to filter internet content in schools.
Minister David Tshere responded that “it is technically possible to filter internet content in public schools” adding that such filtering was previously implemented on a trial basis within the civil service to assess its technical feasibility and effectiveness.
“A centrally managed web-filtering solution can be implemented to schools or any other constituency to: block access to malicious, illegal and inappropriate websites; protect learners from harmful online content; scan internet traffic for malware and other cyber threats; enforce acceptable-use policies; control access to high-risk applications and online services; manage bandwidth usage; and provide security logs and reports for monitoring and incident response,” he said.
According to a BBC report in December 2025, various surveys conducted by international agencies have found that a significant section of teens across the world use at least one of five social media platforms more than several times a day. The five social media platforms are: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
Exposure to social media content is linked with healthy and unhealthy effects on mental health and has potential to impact on psychological factors, such as maturity level and any pre-existing mental health conditions. It also affects personal life circumstances such as cultural, social and economic factors amongst others. Experts emphasise the importance of limiting internet access for young people.
“Healthy effects of social media can help teens in general. They also may help teens who are prone to depression stay connected to others. And social media that's humorous or distracting may help a struggling teen cope with a challenging day,” the BBC reported.
Developed countries like Australia and France have recently moved to ban social media for young people under 16 years old.
Australia's government said the ban would reduce the negative impact of social media's 'design features that encourage young people to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing'.
A study commissioned by the Australian government in 2025 found that 96% of children aged 10-15 used social media, and that seven out of 10 of them had been exposed to harmful content. This included misogynistic and violent material as well as content promoting eating disorders and suicide.
An unhealthy or unlimited use of the internet or exposure to social media content can lead to depression, low self-esteem, violent behaviour, anxiety and even suicide, commented Social Worker and Academic, Dr Kgomotso Jongman.
He believes that Botswana should follow suit and ban access for under 16 although it is a technically impossible endeavour.
“Social media is about appearances. It’s creating fake people. You need to fake your life in order to get likes and traction, because it borders on your self-esteem. “Ultimately, all these issues affect how you think of yourself. “If you think less of yourself you withdraw, you isolate. If consumption is uncontrolled people end up with depression. “The other thing is that social media has many experts on issues they know nothing about – they end up misleading people in terms weight loss, passing in school and sexual exploitation destroying the future of others, especially young people.” Another social worker Tumisang Judith Monamodi observed that social media platforms and the use of technology have become a crucial part of young people's lives and they offer opportunities for learning, maintaining friendships, accessing information, expressing creativity and seeking peer support, particularly for young people who may feel isolated.
“However, social work practice and other mental health professionals also reveal the darker side of social media,” she said. “Evidently, children and adolescents present with emotional distress linked to cyberbullying, online harassment, social comparison, exposure to violent or sexual content and the pressure to seek validation through likes and followers. “These experiences can contribute to poor academic performances, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, poor sleep patterns, behavioural problems and strained family relationships.”
Monamodi continued: “In many cases, children struggle to distinguish between their online identity and their real sense of self, making them more vulnerable to emotional harm and unnecessary pressure “fake life.’”
She added that Botswana like many other countries around the globe, is already witnessing some of these challenges in that conflicts that begin on social media are finding their way into schools and homes, while many parents feel ill-equipped to supervise their children's online activities.
“Although more local research is needed, these realities call for proactive intervention rather than waiting until harm becomes widespread,” she said.
Monamodi said that the question whether Botswana should ban social media for children under 16 deserves careful consideration, but legislation alone will not solve the problem.
“Protecting children requires strengthening parental guidance, school-based mental health services, digital literacy, early psychosocial support and accountability from social media platforms. “The goal is not to isolate children from social media, but to ensure they engage with it in ways that promote resilience, healthy development and psychological wellbeing.”
She said that even adults misuse social media platforms, which is evidence enough that digital literacy, accountability and legislation should be reinforced to both children and adults.
For his part, Tshere said told Parliament that: “The provision of free internet access at public facilities must be supported by appropriate cybersecurity, content-management and acceptable-use controls. “Unrestricted internet access may expose users, particularly learners, and Government ICT infrastructure to harmful, illegal or inappropriate content, malware, phishing, online fraud and other cyber threats”.
With the typical government bureaucracy, it will take another decade before something is done. In the meantime, society is headed for a generation of internet misfits.