Shabir Ahmad
A silent revolution is unfolding—one powered not by protests or politics, but by the glow of smartphone screens. With over 70% of J&K’s internet users aged 18–35 active on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Twitter, social media has become an inextricable part of daily life for the youth.
This demographic—constituting nearly 65% of J&K’s population—navigates a landscape marked by high unemployment, historical conflict, and fragile peace, where digital connectivity offers both escape and entrapment. As platforms evolve, their influence deepens, shaping identities, economies, and even ideologies. Yet amid the likes and shares, a darker narrative unfolds: addiction, misinformation, and mental health crises that threaten to unravel the region’s social fabric.
For many young people in J&K, social media serves as a lifeline. Platforms such as Instagram and YouTube have enabled youth to connect families separated by borders, migration, or diaspora, fostering a sense of community in a geographically and politically fragmented region.
Within Kashmir’s unique socio-political context, these tools have also become vital spaces for self-expression—allowing users to showcase the region’s natural beauty, document cultural practices, and challenge long-standing stereotypes.
Economically, social media has emerged as a game-changer. Traditional crafts like Pashmina shawls, papier-mâché, and saffron are now marketed globally through Instagram and Facebook Marketplace, expanding opportunities far beyond local bazaars.
The rise of influencers and content creators has opened new career pathways, particularly for unemployed youth. Fashion bloggers, travel vloggers, photographers, and storytellers earn livelihoods by showcasing Kashmir’s resilience and heritage, transforming personal narratives into revenue streams. In a region grappling with one of India’s highest unemployment rates, this form of digital entrepreneurship offers a rare glimmer of hope. Young creators promoting poetry, music, daily life, and cultural pride exemplify this shift.
Activism and awareness also flourish online. Social media has transformed how individuals voice opinions and mobilize, exposing issues such as human rights violations and countering negative narratives. During recent events, platforms were used to document non-violent resistance and share global perspectives, empowering youth to participate in civic discourse beyond traditional barriers.
Government initiatives, too, have recognized this shift. At the LEAD IMPACT Conclave in Jammu, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh advocated using social media handles and workshops to free youth from the “Sarkari Naukri” mindset, noting that nearly 50% of India’s startups now originate from Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns.
Yet this digital connectivity comes at a steep cost. Experts warn of a “silent epidemic,” where excessive social media use fuels isolation, anxiety, and despair among J&K’s youth—sometimes culminating in tragic outcomes such as suicide.
In a Pakistan-sponsored terrorism-hit region burdened with decades of trauma and depression, these platforms often exacerbate vulnerabilities through relentless validation-seeking, cyberbullying, and toxic social comparison. The psychological toll is severe: exposure to aggression, disrespect, and risky behavior dulls empathy, erodes cultural values such as adab (respect) and tahzeeb (etiquette), and replaces humility with hostility.
Digital addiction has reached alarming levels. Early screen exposure—sometimes as young as 4–6 months—impairs cognitive and social development, contributing to aggression, obesity, depression, attention deficits, and autism-like symptoms. Among adolescents, excessive use triggers sleep disorders, compulsive behavior, and withdrawal from real-life interactions, alongside physical ailments such as headaches, musculoskeletal problems, and digital eye strain.
A Pew Research Center report from April 2025 highlights the growing mental health toll of social media on teenagers—a concern amplified in J&K, where millions of users aged 15–29 face heightened risks due to limited digital literacy and support systems.
Misinformation thrives on platforms like WhatsApp and Twitter, spreading rumors that inflame tensions and deepen mistrust. Both state and non-state actors exploit these channels to push agendas, polarizing communities in an already fragile region. The phenomenon of “rage-baiting”—provocative content designed to incite outrage—further drags youth into a perilous digital spiral.
A particularly disturbing trend is the exploitation of terror-related content for visibility and monetization. Increasingly, youth use radical imagery not necessarily out of ideological commitment, but to gain followers and advertising revenue—raising serious concerns about the normalization of extremism.
Following the abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan’s failure to recruit locals directly into terror outfits has reportedly shifted toward promoting drug addiction through social media, targeting vulnerable youth and turning them into exploitable assets for terror networks. Recent arrests—including that of a 19-year-old from Reasi linked to Pakistan-based handlers through incriminating online chats—underscore the risks of online radicalization.
Cultural erosion has become another casualty. Algorithms exploit emotional sensitivity and curiosity, pushing children toward dependency and exposing them to vulgar content and dangerous stunts—motorcycle tricks, train-hopping, and other viral challenges that often result in severe injury or death. Childhood itself is being erased, replaced by digital toxicity, sidelining the spiritual legacies of figures such as Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Hamadani and Lalleshwari.
J&K’s youth face compounded challenges: systemic stress in education marked by rising zero-enrolment schools and dropouts, flawed reservation policies that penalize merit, and escalating tensions that divert some from aspirations of becoming doctors or engineers toward cycles of frustration and violence. Social media amplifies these pressures, accelerating mass radicalization along ideological or identity lines—an especially volatile mix in a conflict-prone region.
At a session held at the Amar Singh Club on January 31, 2025, digital addiction was described as an “invisible pandemic.” Neurologists warned of emerging brain abnormalities and advocated restrictions, including banning social media for those under 16. Former JKPSC Chairman Dr. Farooq A. Lone went further, questioning whether adults now require restrictive digital protocols as urgently as children, given the depth of the societal crisis.
