Zaheen Ahmed, the head of therapy at UK Addiction Treatment Centres, warned that if their online and physical life ‘doesn’t give comfort’, then they numb themselves with the drug
An addiction specialist who rehabilitates teens with social media addictions claims smartphones is behind the rise in young people taking ketamine.
Zaheen Ahmed, 47, has 20 years’ experience working in addiction and mental health, currently working as head of therapy at UK Addiction Treatment Centres (UKAT). He said mobile phone and social media addiction in young people is a growing concern.
The expert said that short videos can lead to a dopamine hit, and scrolling mindlessly can lead to an addiction similar to gambling and substance abuse. Young people are also failing to form meaningful intimate connections and friendships because they are connecting online rather than in person, he added.
Zaheen, of Braintree, Essex, said many young addicts he sees are unable to answer the question, ‘who are you without your social media?’. And he believes the lack of genuine relationships formed, as a result of only speaking online, is what is driving growing numbers of young people to take ketamine.
The latest government data for substance misuse in children shows the number reporting ketamine problems has risen from 512 (5%) in 2021 to 2022 to 1,465 (9%) in 2024 to 2025.
He said because young people often fail to make meaningful and fulfilling friendships by communicating primarily online, it often leads to poor mental health.
And he feels this is a reason for the uptick in young people using the drug. He said: “I called a local school in Braintree and they told me about some of the students using ketamine.
“They aren’t making proper connections, and their image is based on social media, so they feel down. Human beings seek comfort, and if their online and physical life doesn’t give comfort, they numb themselves with the drug.
“I think that’s why young people take it – it’s cheap, and readily available.”
Zaheen said we need to find a way to tackle the way smartphones and social media are being used to reduce the issues. He said: “Everyone talks about mindfulness now – but there is no mindfulness happening when we’re on our phones. They are the worst things to happen to modern society.”
Young people nowadays “take the phones everywhere” and “even scroll while they are on the toilet”, he added.
He said: “Young people with social media and smartphones – it’s 24/7. It’s exhausting the brain and not letting it calm down. It becomes compulsive and stressful.
“And humans are not hermits, we’re social beings – we need social interaction with other humans. Messaging is not the same as talking in person – you can’t see their face or body language and there is no tone or pitch. So a lot of young people aren’t forming meaningful relationships they’re staying home on their smartphones.
“Addiction doesn’t need to be a substance or gambling. This can make people angry, anxious, sad, obsessive and compulsive, perfectionists.”
Zaheen said short videos on social media sites can be damaging and addictive to the brain. He said because it’s short and digestible content, you find yourself wanting more and more – chasing the next dopamine hit.
This can lead to ‘doomscrolling’ – which creates a similar addiction to gambling and substance abuse. He said: “You will never feel full, there’s always a void.”
But he said one of the largest and most alarming issues is that faced by the under-18s. He said young people who have grown up with smartphones and social media are facing attachment issues.
He said: “In older days, we used to go out – whether that’s playing or clubbing – now the human connection is being lost. The connections are false because it’s all online, there’s a distance. Life is all about human connections and intimacy – this is not the human way.”
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