Religious education and the attitudes of adolescent mothers in the digitalization process

Technology is rapidly changing and developing every day. Today, technology use has created a new area of responsibility for parents. Uncontrolled and unconscious use can lead to harmful consequences. In this context, the term "digital parenting" is a new concept that has emerged to protect children's internet and digital media use, to act consciously, and to express the necessary parental roles. Digital media use is a subject that requires education and discipline, especially for parents and children. By taking advantage of the opportunities provided by digital technology, effective and quality religious education can be achieved. Parents' interest in digital technologies is also a significant factor in this regard. It is particularly important for families to guide children, model their use of technology, and manage the process by spending quality and productive time with them. The impact of increasing religious content on the religious development of adolescents during the digitalization process and the extent to which it is effective in terms of the guidance roles of adolescent mothers in this process have not been adequately studied. In this context, this study explores the attitudes and influences of adolescent mothers in the digital religious education process. This research seeks to understand the impact of increasing religious content during the digitalization process on the religious development of adolescents and the role of adolescent mothers as guides. It contributes to the field by revealing the attitudes of adolescent mothers toward the threats and opportunities of digital religious education. It offers solution-oriented recommendations on issues such as media literacy, content security, and digital guidance. The research aims to provide a more in-depth understanding of this topic using qualitative research methods. Interviews were conducted with mothers of adolescent children with diverse characteristics. Participants were selected using the "snowball technique," a purposive sampling method. A semi-structured interview technique was used for data collection, and descriptive analysis was employed for data analysis. According to the research findings, adolescent mothers are wary of digital religious education and often seek guidance through individual efforts. Their knowledge on this topic is generally limited to personal effort and experience and has not received institutional training. They are concerned about the reliability of digital content and need media literacy and guidance. Adolescent mothers prefer to provide religious information directly to themselves through traditional means. Participants stated that they encountered deviant content, religious disinformation, and influences from different faiths in the digital environment. Consequently, it was demonstrated that for digital religious education to be effective and reliable, increased content, guidance, and educational support must be provided through collaboration between family, government, and society.