The rise of social media has transformed interaction patterns among the younger generation, including students within Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). Although santri (boarding school students) are nurtured within a strong religious culture through various religious activities, high-intensity social media usage has the potential to influence religious behavior if not balanced with appropriate management. This study aims to analyze the influence of social media usage intensity on the religious behavior of students at the Madrasah Diniyah Ula of Bustanul Ulum Islamic Boarding School. The study employs a quantitative approach with a correlational research design. The respondents consisted of 72 students selected using a total sampling technique. Data were collected via a Likert-scale questionnaire that met validity and reliability standards and were subsequently analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics via a t-test (partial test). The results indicate that the intensity of social media usage has a significant influence on students' religious behavior. This is evidenced by a t-value of -6.705 and a significance level of 0.000 (<0.05), leading to the acceptance of the alternative hypothesis. A regression coefficient of -0.523 indicates a negative relationship between the two variables, meaning that higher intensity of social media usage tends to correlate with a decline in students' religious behavior. These findings suggest that managing social media usage—through strengthening digital literacy, restricting smartphone use to educational needs, and providing guidance from teachers, parents, and boarding school administrators—is essential to preserving and reinforcing the religious behavior of santri in the digital era.
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