Imagine a tribe of uncontacted hunter-gatherers in the deepest Amazon rainforest. Anthropologists airdrop dozens of smartphones loaded with social media apps, with solar chargers, simple instructions in their native language and Wi-Fi just within the tribe.

Amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on young minds, 1 in 5 teens say it has negatively affected their mental health, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.The research found that many teens believe social media can be harmful to people their age.

Take it from social media companies, which, like tobacco and oil companies, realised before the public what harm their products do. An internal report by TikTok admits that compulsive usage “correlates with a slew of negative mental effects”.