The opinions of 14-18-year-old students on religious youtubers within the context of religious education

From the moment a person is born, they go through various developmental stages and complete the tasks required by these stages, growing and advancing. Adolescence is the most challenging and turbulent of these developmental periods. During this time, adolescents constantly communicate and struggle with their family, school, and peer groups. However, this struggle predominantly occurs within their inner world. Socialization, identity, and personality searches heavily challenge adolescents during this period. While striving to be a part of the society they live in, they also resort to various ways to express their individuality. As mentioned earlier, adolescence is a period filled with numerous identity searches in the lifelong developmental process. During this identity search, adolescents are influenced by many factors when determining the religious beliefs and identity of their society. The main factors include family, school, and peer groups, but rapidly advancing technology and social media platforms have recently taken an undeniable place in our lives. This study investigates the impact of Youtube channels, particularly those producing religious content, on the religious lives of adolescents aged 14-18. It examines the effects of religious Youtubers on adolescents in the context of religious education. While conducting this research, qualitative methodologies were used to explore what adolescents aged 14-18 think about religious Youtubers and how these Youtubers influence them. The findings from interviews aim to provide suggestions to religious educators for better understanding adolescents' worlds and offering more effective support during the formation of their religious identity. This study was conducted as a case study within qualitative research methodology. It focused on adolescents aged 14-18 studying at various high schools in the Seyhan district of Adana, Turkey. The first section of the research provides information on the topic and scope of the study, its problems, purpose, importance, and similar studies. The second section discusses development and its nature, the characteristics of adolescence, the significance of social media, and the top 10 popular religious content channels on Youtube in terms of membership. The third section elaborates on the research method, design, study group, and data analysis. In the fourth section, the responses of participants to interview questions are presented. Findings and interpretations derived from these responses, as well as their relation to the literature and relevant studies, are discussed. As the participants' answers are transcribed verbatim, no grammatical corrections were made. Finally, the conclusion section includes results and some recommendations based on the research findings. Keywords: Adolescence, Development, religious education, social media, Youtube