The Correlation of Tinder Social Media Use to Risky Sexual Behavior in Teens

Abstract

Introduction: Risky sexual behavior among adolescents is a growing concern. In Indonesia, it is estimated that nearly 3.5 million adolescents have engaged in risky sexual behavior before the age of 18 and prior to marriage. One contributing factor is the use of dating-based social media platforms such as Tinder. This study aims to examine the relationship between the use of Tinder and risky sexual behavior among eighth-grade students at  SMP Negeri 1 Ngimbang.

Methods: The research adopted a correlational analytic design with a cross-sectional approach. A total of 58 respondents were selected from a population of 108 students using total sampling. Data were collected through a instrument used was a questionnaire on the use of Tinder social media and risky sexual behavior and analyzed using the Spearman Rank correlation test.

Results: The findings show that a considerable proportion of students (48.3%) demonstrated high usage of Tinder, and the majority (66.7%) exhibited risky sexual behaviors. The statistical analysis revealed a strong and significant correlation between Tinder use and risky sexual behavior (r = 0.752, p = 0.000), indicating that increased usage is associated with greater behavioral risk.

Conclusion: These results highlight the urgent need for comprehensive sexual education and  digital  literacy  programs  tailored  to  adolescents, particularly in junior high school settings.