Online School Socialisation: Why the Biggest Myth About Online Learning Is Dead Wrong

Online school socialisation is not the gap critics claim it is. It is a different model of social development that, according to a growing body of research, produces children who are at least as socially competent as their traditionally schooled peers — and in many measures, more so.

If you've considered online schooling for your child but hesitated because of socialisation concerns, you're not alone. It's the number one objection parents raise. But the assumption that children need to sit in a room with 30 same-age strangers for six hours a day in order to develop social skills deserves serious scrutiny.

This article unpacks what the research actually says, why the traditional school socialisation model has its own significant problems, and how CambriLearn is building something that goes far beyond what most schools offer through its dedicated community platform, CambriCommunity.

The Socialisation Myth: Where It Comes From and Why It Persists

The concern is understandable. For most parents alive today, school was where friendships happened. The classroom, the playground, the bus, these were the stages on which social skills developed. It feels intuitive that removing a child from that environment means removing their social development.

But intuition and evidence are different things.

The socialisation objection against homeschooling and online schooling has been studied for over three decades. A peer-reviewed systematic review covering 35 years of empirical research found that 64% of studies on social, emotional, and psychological development show homeschooled students performing statistically significantly better than conventionally schooled students.

That's not a marginal finding. It's a majority of all credible research pointing in the same direction.

A 2013 review by Dr Richard Medlin of Stetson University reached a similar conclusion. Compared to children attending conventional schools, homeschooled children demonstrated higher quality friendships, stronger relationships with parents and adults, greater optimism, higher life satisfaction, and less emotional turmoil.

More recently, a 2023 study by Hamlin and Cheng presented at the Harvard Kennedy School examined the life trajectories of adults who had been homeschooled. The participants were well connected in later life and active in mainstream institutions. They showed no statistically significant differences in higher education, employment, or marital outcomes compared to conventionally schooled adults.

The socialisation myth persists not because the evidence supports it, but because the assumption is culturally entrenched.

What Traditional School Socialisation Actually Looks Like

Before worrying about what online learners are missing, it's worth examining what traditional school socialisation actually involves.

Children in conventional schools interact almost exclusively with same-age peers in closed environments for years at a time. Social hierarchies form quickly and can be brutal. The environment is compulsory, children cannot leave. And the social dynamics that emerge under those conditions are often harmful.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one in five high school students reported being bullied on school property in the 12 months prior to being surveyed. Among students aged 12–18 who were bullied, those individuals were twice as likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to students who were not bullied.

That means the environment many parents consider essential for social development is also producing measurable psychological harm for a significant minority of children. The classroom is where some children make friends. It is also where many children are subjected to daily social cruelty with no ability to leave.

Online learners don't face this dynamic. They build friendships based on shared interests rather than physical proximity. They interact with people of various ages through activities, community involvement, and family networks. They develop social skills in contexts that more closely resemble adult social life than the artificial environment of age-segregated classrooms.

How Online Learners Actually Socialise

Without the automatic social contact of a school building, online learning families create social opportunities intentionally. This requires more effort than simply sending children to school, but often produces richer and more meaningful social experiences.

Extracurricular activities remain the primary social outlet for most online learners. Sports teams, dance classes, music lessons, art workshops, and drama groups provide regular contact with peers who share genuine interests. A child passionate about swimming builds friendships with fellow swimmers. A young musician connects with others in an orchestra. These interest-based friendships tend to be deeper and more enduring than those formed through proximity alone.

The flexibility of online schooling actually enables more social activity, not less. A gymnast can train during morning hours when facilities are less crowded. A young artist can attend daytime workshops. The scheduling freedom that online education provides allows children to pursue activities more seriously than traditionally schooled peers whose afternoons are consumed by homework and commuting.

Community involvement opens doors that conventional school schedules keep closed. Online learners have daytime availability that traditionally schooled children lack. A child interested in animals can volunteer at a local shelter. One passionate about environmental issues could join conservation projects. These experiences build social skills while contributing meaningfully to community life.

Family and intergenerational relationships strengthen under online schooling. Children spend more meaningful time with siblings, parents, grandparents, and extended family. They learn to converse with adults, respect different perspectives, and understand life stages beyond their own. These intergenerational skills are exactly what employers and universities value — and they are rarely developed in age-segregated classrooms.

Homeschool and online learning communities provide structured social events, field trips, sports days, and regular gatherings. South Africa has active homeschooling communities in most urban areas. Facebook groups, WhatsApp communities, church networks, and co-operatives offer more social opportunities than most families can accommodate once they are plugged in.

CambriCommunity: How CambriLearn Is Solving the Socialisation Question

Recognising that socialisation is the single biggest barrier to enrolment for hesitant parents, CambriLearn has built CambriCommunity, a dedicated community platform designed specifically for online learners and their families.

This is not a Facebook group or a Discord server. CambriCommunity is a purpose-built digital hub integrated directly with the CambriLearn learning platform, where students connect with peers globally through a moderated, safe, and age-appropriate environment.

Here is what makes it different from anything else available in online education.

A Global Student Network With Local Connections

CambriLearn serves over 80,000 students across more than 100 countries. CambriCommunity connects these students into regional and interest-based groups. A student in Johannesburg can find other CambriLearn families in Gauteng for in-person meetups. A student in Dubai can connect with fellow learners in the UAE. A teenager in Portugal can find peers studying the same Cambridge curriculum on the other side of the world.

This dual structure, global reach with local density, means students build both international friendships and nearby social networks. Neither traditional schools nor generic online communities can replicate this.

Interest-Based Spaces, Not Just Age-Based Groups

Traditional schools sort children by age. CambriCommunity organises them by interest, curriculum, and region. Students passionate about gaming connect with fellow gamers. Those interested in art find creative communities. Book lovers join reading groups. This mirrors how adult social life works and builds friendships grounded in genuine shared interests.

Gamification That Drives Genuine Engagement

CambriCommunity uses a points and achievement system designed to encourage meaningful participation, not passive scrolling. Students earn recognition for daily engagement, completing challenges, contributing to community discussions, attending offline events, and helping other students. Achievement badges, leaderboards, and progression levels create positive social dynamics that reward kindness and contribution rather than the social hierarchies of a school corridor.

Offline Events and Real-World Experiences

CambriCommunity is not purely digital. CambriLearn is building a growing network of partnerships with sports organisations, arts programmes, camps, and experience providers across South Africa, the UAE, and other markets where students are concentrated. These partnerships create regular opportunities for CambriLearn students to meet in person, participate in group activities, and build the face-to-face relationships that complement online connections.

Events include camps, matric dances, sports days, creative competitions, and community service projects.

Moderated and Safe

Every interaction within CambriCommunity is moderated. Age-appropriate spaces ensure younger students are separated from older cohorts. Single sign-on integration with the CambriLearn learning platform means students access the community with their existing credentials and are automatically placed in appropriate spaces based on their age and curriculum. Parents have visibility into their child's community participation.

This is fundamentally different from unmonitored social media platforms or open Discord servers. CambriCommunity is a controlled environment designed specifically for the developmental needs of children and teenagers.

What About Parents?

Socialisation concerns don't only affect students. Parents choosing online schooling can feel isolated too, particularly when friends and family question their decision.

CambriCommunity addresses this directly. Parent spaces within the platform connect families facing similar circumstances. Practical support — curriculum recommendations, exam tips, scheduling advice — flows naturally through parent networks. Emotional support from people who understand the online schooling journey sustains families through challenging periods.

Regional parent groups also facilitate the logistics of in-person social opportunities. When parents connect, their children's social circles expand naturally.

A Different Approach to Social Development, Not an Absent One

The question is not whether online learners socialise. The research is clear: they do, and they do it well. The question is whether the social model suits your child.

Some children thrive in the automatic social contact of a traditional school. Others suffer in it. Some children build deep friendships through shared interests and chosen activities. Others need the structure of a classroom to initiate social contact.

The advantage of online schooling with CambriLearn is that socialisation becomes intentional rather than incidental. Parents and students choose the social environments that work for them. They avoid those that don't. And through CambriCommunity, they gain access to a global network of peers, a structured engagement platform, and a growing calendar of real-world experiences that most traditional schools cannot match.

The socialisation myth was never based on evidence. It was based on assumption. CambriCommunity is the evidence-based answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do online school students make friends?

Online school students build friendships through extracurricular activities, community groups, sports teams, and dedicated platforms like CambriCommunity. Research consistently shows these interest-based friendships are often deeper and more enduring than those formed through classroom proximity. CambriLearn students connect with peers locally and globally through regional community groups, virtual events, and in-person meetups.

Is the socialisation concern about online school valid?

The concern is understandable but not supported by the weight of research. A systematic review of 35 years of empirical studies found that 64% of peer-reviewed research shows homeschooled and online-schooled students performing significantly better on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development. The key factor is not where socialisation occurs but whether children have meaningful social connections — and online learners typically do.

What is CambriCommunity?

CambriCommunity is CambriLearn's dedicated student and family community platform. It provides a moderated, age-appropriate digital hub where students connect through interest-based groups, regional networks, gamified engagement features, and real-world events. It integrates directly with the CambriLearn learning platform for seamless, secure access.

Does online schooling cause loneliness?

Loneliness is possible in any educational setting. Many traditionally schooled children report feeling lonely despite daily peer contact, particularly when they don't connect with classmates. Online learners with active social lives through activities, community groups, and platforms like CambriCommunity often report less loneliness than classroom-bound children who haven't found compatible peers.

Can online school students participate in sports and group activities?

Yes, and the scheduling flexibility of online schooling often allows deeper participation than traditional school permits. Students can train during off-peak hours, attend daytime programmes, and commit more time to their chosen activities. CambriLearn's growing partnership network with sports organisations and activity providers creates additional structured opportunities specifically for online learners.