What TikTok does to your mental health: ‘It’s embarrassing we know so little’

Nearly six in 10 teenagers count themselves as daily users of the app yet little is known about the impacts on the brain

• Read the new Guardian series exploring the increasing power and reach of TikTok

In the few years since its launch, TikTok has already altered the face of the social media landscape, attracting more than 1 billion users and leading competitors to replicate some of its most unique features.

The impact of that explosive growth and the TikTok-ification' of the internet at large on social media users remains little understood, experts warn, exacerbating concerns about the impact of social media on our habits and mental health.