Social robots are increasingly being integrated into school and home settings to support children’s development. However, their effectiveness in fostering children’s social and emotional learning (SEL) remains insufficiently understood. To address this gap, this study presents a meta-analysis of 66 empirical studies comprising 166 effect sizes and 3468 participants. The findings indicate that social robot interventions produce an overall small-to-moderate positive effect on children’s social and emotional competence. Moderator analyses identified robot role as the only statistically significant moderator of intervention effectiveness. None of the other examined moderator variables showed statistically significant between-group differences. Nevertheless, some descriptive patterns were observed in the estimated effects, with relatively larger effect sizes for cartoon-like and physical robots, individual interaction methods, and generative AI-enabled robots, as well as for longer interventions. Among child characteristics, relatively larger effect sizes were observed for older children, children with special development needs, and those from developed countries. However, these numerical differences should be interpreted cautiously, as they were not supported by statistically significant between-group tests. They therefore do not provide sufficient evidence that these characteristics systematically moderate intervention effectiveness, but may indicate patterns worthy of further investigation. Overall, this study synthesizes the growing evidence base on social robot interventions and provides a basis for identifying potentially relevant intervention characteristics for future research.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become increasingly central to educational policy and lifelong development, while advances in robotics have opened new possibilities for supporting socio-emotional competencies through human–robot interaction. Despite the rapid growth of robot-assisted SEL research, this field remains fragmented, with limited understanding of its intellectual structure, thematic foci, and evolution. To address this gap, this study conducted a scientometric analysis of 241 publications indexed in Web of Science using bibliometric methods. Results indicate a steady growth trajectory, with research concentrated in a small number of core countries driving international collaboration. Influential publications and co-citation patterns reveal a strong foundation in autism-related interventions and child-centered social skill development. Thematic mapping shows that motor themes are dominated by soft skills, autism, and interaction design, while emotion recognition and affective computing form technically mature but specialized streams. Foundational concepts such as human–robot interaction and artificial intelligence remain central yet theoretically evolving. Emerging links between robotics, STEM, and project-based learning suggest ongoing pedagogical expansion. This study maps the intellectual and thematic structure of robot-assisted SEL, showing how robots are emerging as mediational agents in hybrid learning systems while revealing uneven integration and misalignments between technological capabilities and pedagogical foundations.