Exploring How Digital Literacy Shapes Emotional Maturity in Maintaining Household Stability among Married Gen Z

Abstrak

This study examines the implications of digital literacy for the emotional maturity of married Generation Z (Gen Z) individuals and how emotional maturity functions as a determinant of household stability, viewed through the lens of hifẓ al-'aql (safeguarding of reason) as part of maqashid syariah. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed, involving six married Gen Z informants selected through purposive sampling, with marriage duration of no more than five years and recent experience using digital media to address household-related matters. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, supported by source triangulation. The findings show that digital literacy contributes to informants' emotional maturity through a deliberate practice of source verification, which enables digital content to function as a trigger for cognitive pause during conflict and gradually reshapes informants' interpretive framework toward greater empathy for their partner. Although this contribution is conditional on consistent critical filtering, particularly for emotionally charged content. Building on this, emotional maturity was found to determine household stability through more open marital communication, the use of digital content as a shared reference point in resolving disagreement, an orientation toward marriage as a continuous learning process, and the consistent filtering of digital influence through religious and moral values. These findings suggest that digital literacy supports household stability not merely through technical media competence, but through a value-grounded critical capacity that allows Gen Z couples to translate digital information into emotionally mature and religiously congruent marital practice.