Instagram-Based Education for Gender-Based Violence Prevention Among Indonesian Adolescents: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Knowledge, Attitude, and Self-Empowerment Outcomes

Background/Objectives: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a major adolescent health problem in Indonesia, yet Instagram-based GBV prevention and its effect on self-empowerment remain understudied. This study examined an Instagram education programme for knowledge, attitude, and self-empowerment regarding GBV prevention. Methods: A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control-group study with pre-test/post-test measurement included 236 high school students (118 intervention, 118 control) in Ciputat Sub-District; intact classes within each school were allocated to the arms without randomisation. The intervention group received 8–10 Instagram posts over two weeks; controls received no structured content. Pilot-tested questionnaires (Cronbach’s α 0.75–0.95) were analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann–Whitney U tests. Results: Both groups improved significantly in knowledge, attitude, and self-empowerment (all p < 0.001). Control-group scores were significantly higher than intervention-group scores at both time points (p ≤ 0.026); this gap was present at baseline and reflects pre-existing differences between the non-randomised groups, not an intervention effect. Conclusions: The programme was followed by significant within-group gains, supporting its feasibility as a potential educational adjunct. However, the control group also improved, and the groups were non-equivalent at baseline, so the findings do not show superiority over usual school conditions or an effect attributable to the programme. Future trials should use school-level randomisation, an active control condition, and covariate adjustment.