Influence of social media on teenagers sexual behaviors; insightsfrom Indonesia

Abstract

Globally, digital sexuality is a contentious issue raised by academicians, scholars and stakeholders, raising concerns about the safety of social media users, education, and cultural norms at large. The objectives of the study are to analyse the challenges posed by digital sexuality, explore the impact of technology on teenagers’ exposure to sexual content and understand the risks for protective measures. Through qualitative inquiry, interviews were conducted with teenagers from schools based in Surabaya Indonesia. The findings of the present study outline that, teenagers often lack understanding in handling digital media which makes them vulnerable to exposure to sexual content without the mechanism of parental or school monitoring. This further results in risks such as sexting. The study highlights the need for communication risk-oriented approaches regarding teenagers’ experiences with sexual content and suggests introducing courses related to sex education at the secondary or high school stage. This topic is often treated as taboo but is crucial for teen years development and is given significant attention even in Islamic teachings.