Language as a Moderating Factor in Cyber-Safety Awareness Among School Learners in South Africa: Systematic Literature Review (SLR)

The internet has become an integral part of everyone’s daily activities, both professionally and socially. Cyberattacks and risks have increased due to internet usage. Schoolchildren are targeted since they lack awareness about cyberattacks or internet safety. It is important to educate learners on how to stay safe while using internet platforms. This article identified socio-demographic and operational factors affecting cyber-safety awareness in South African schools. This study examined how teachers implement the school's language policy and use language in instruction. Language is the main factor affecting school cyber-safety knowledge Methodologically, the PRISMA guideline for Systematic literature review (SLR) search was used. SLR is a comprehensive method of examining literature that identifies, evaluates, and synthesises all relevant research. SLRs outperform narrative or scoping reviews and are the gold standard for knowledge synthesis. The keywords were searched using standardized search strategies from 6 databases which includes Elsevier, Scopus, ScienceDirect, IEEE Xplore, ACM, Springer, and Web of Science. From the databases, 118 articles published between 2014 to 2023 were retrieved and 47 articles were included for this study. The findings reveal that schools apply language policies differently depending on their preferences. This study also shows gaps in knowledge of cyber-safety and language learning and instruction's mediating role, suggesting further research in several areas. It is evident that language does play a significant role in raising cyber-safety awareness in South Africa.