Islamic Education and the Influence of Social Media on the Character Formation of Students

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the influence of social media on the character formation of students and to examine the role and strategies of Islamic education in responding to this dynamic. The study uses a qualitative method with a library research approach. The results indicate that social media has a paradoxical influence, bringing positive impacts such as expanded access to knowledge and positive social networks, but also significant negative impacts such as distortion of values, cyberbullying, and degradation of learning concentration. Islamic education, with its paradigm of tawhid (monotheism) and akhlak (morality), faces significant challenges in filtering values within the fluid digital space. The main finding of this research is that effective strategies require a tripartite integration: strengthening value-based Islamic digital literacy in educational institutions, enhancing the educational role of parents in digital supervision, and developing creative da'wah (Islamic propagation) and educational content by various stakeholders. This research concludes that the transformation of Islamic education in the digital era is no longer optional but a necessity to ensure students become not only smart social media users but also individuals with resilient Islamic character.