Home / Health / Teens' Ketamine Use Soars Amidst Doomscrolling Crisis
Teens' Ketamine Use Soars Amidst Doomscrolling Crisis
27 Jan
Summary
- Social media doomscrolling linked to rising ketamine use in teens.
- Ketamine use among children has tripled in under five years.
- Lack of real-life connections drives youth to numb themselves with drugs.
Social media's pervasive influence is being identified as a key driver behind a significant increase in ketamine use among teenagers. Addiction expert Zaheen Ahmed highlights that 'doomscrolling' on smartphones contributes to a failure in forming meaningful intimate connections, leading young people to seek solace in drugs like ketamine. This trend is alarming, with government figures indicating that the number of children reporting ketamine issues has tripled between the 2021-2022 and 2024-2025 periods. The drug, often referred to as 'K' or 'Special K,' is also linked to student deaths and is known for its dissociative effects and potential for severe bladder damage. The NHS launched the UK's first ketamine teen addiction clinic in Liverpool last July due to a rise in young users, some as young as 12. This surge occurs even as Gen Z reportedly shuns other drugs, while deaths related to ketamine have drastically increased by 650% since 2015.
