Journal of Indonesian Islamic Studies
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026): Journal of Indonesian Islamic Studies (October) --- In Press

Social Media and Islamic Youth Character among Indonesian Students

Vina Ervina (IAIN Datuk Laksemana Bengkalis)



Article Info

Publish Date
28 Aug 2026

Abstract

Social media has become a routine environment in which Indonesian adolescents communicate, imitate social norms, encounter religious and non-religious content, and negotiate their everyday identities. Although previous studies have discussed social media as either a learning resource or a risk environment, less attention has been given to how students’ online experiences can be interpreted through Islamic values and youth character formation. This study examines Indonesian students’ social media practices and the moral concerns observed by parents and teachers. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, the study integrates survey data from 163 Indonesian students with written responses from 38 parents and teachers. Quantitative findings show very frequent social media use, with WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok as the dominant platforms. Students reported positive perceived effects for social interaction and social awareness, but also acknowledged behavioral influence, changes in self-perception, and social-life disruption. Qualitative findings reveal adult concerns about excessive use, reduced responsiveness, imitation of online behavior, weakened discipline, exposure to negative content, and the need for value-based guidance. Integrated interpretation suggests that social media is not merely a communication tool; it is a moral-learning ecology in which character may be strengthened or weakened depending on guidance, self-control, and ethical mediation. Building on akhlaq, amanah, tabayyun, haya’, ukhuwwah, and mujahadah al-nafs, this study proposes Islamic Values-Based Guided Social Media Learning (IV-GSML) as a framework for supporting responsible digital character education in Indonesian Islamic educational contexts.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jiis

Publisher

Subject

Religion Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Other

Description

Journal of Indonesian Islamic Studies is a high-quality open-access and peer-reviewed research journal with e-ISSN 2808-8395. Journal of Indonesian Islamic Studies providing a platform that welcomes and acknowledges high quality empirical original research papers about is a publication media to ...