Srinagar, Jun 15: Excessive social media exposure, unchecked internet influence and isolation have emerged as major triggers behind the growing drug and substance abuse among school students in Kashmir, an empirical research study submitted to District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) Srinagar has revealed. The action research project, conducted by Dr Sameena Wani, presently Principal of Government Girls Higher Secondary School Kothibagh, Srinagar, highlights how changing social behaviour among adolescents, shaped increasingly by digital platforms and weakening social values, is pushing many young people towards substance abuse. According to the study, titled “Drug and Substance Abuse in Secondary and Higher Secondary School Students of district Srinagar – An Empirical Study for Prevention and Intervention”, the internet and social media have significantly altered the emotional and psychological environment of adolescents in Kashmir, particularly after prolonged lockdowns and social isolation.