A new report reveals that social media influencers seeking viral fame are endangering uncontacted indigenous tribes to the point of potential extinction.
According to findings released by advocacy group Survival International, nearly half of the world’s 196 uncontacted indigenous communities could be wiped out within the next decade, with social media content creators emerging as a growing threat. These influencers, driven by subscriber counts and engagement metrics, are deliberately entering protected territories despite legal prohibitions.
These people expose vulnerable populations to deadly diseases for which they have no immunity. The report, titled “Uncontacted Peoples: At the Edge of Survival,” warns that the consequences mirror the catastrophic impact European colonizers had on indigenous populations centuries ago, with contact potentially triggering what Survival International describes as “devastating and predictable deaths of children, parents, siblings and friends on a genocidal scale.”
Concentrated Risk In Amazon And Pacific Regions
The vast majority of uncontacted tribes — approximately 95% — live within the Amazon rainforest, with the remaining groups scattered throughout South Asia and the Pacific island regions. Brazil alone is home to 124 of the 196 identified groups, according to NBC News. Of particular concern are approximately 90 ancient tribes currently under direct threat from tourists, missionaries, and the “surging number of influencers entering territories and deliberately seeking interaction” with these isolated communities.
Survival International’s research indicates that these groups face imminent extinction unless governments and corporations implement immediate protective measures. The organization emphasizes that these indigenous peoples are not living entertainment and their rights cannot be sacrificed for online engagement.
High-Profile Influencer Incidents With Indigenous Tribes Raise Concern
Recent incidents highlight the escalating nature of this threat. In April 2025, American influencer Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, was arrested by Indian authorities after traveling nine hours in a rubber dinghy to reach North Sentinel Island, home to one of the world’s most isolated communities. The New York Post reports that Polyakov attempted to attract the Sentinelese’s attention by blowing a whistle and leaving offerings of Diet Coke and a coconut.
Another concerning case involves British adventurer Miles Routledge, who reportedly boasted of “detailed plans” to visit North Sentinel Island despite regulations prohibiting travel within three nautical miles of the island to protect its inhabitants. In 2018, American evangelical missionary and adventure blogger John Allen Chau was killed by the Sentinelese during an ill-fated conversion attempt, yet such incidents have not deterred others.
Deadly Consequences Of Contact
The report warns that even a single individual forcing contact could potentially wipe out an entire community through exposure to unfamiliar pathogens. This concern is grounded in historical precedent. When the previously uncontacted Panará tribe of the Amazon experienced its first sustained interaction with outsiders in 1973 during construction of a government road through their territory, more than 250 of the tribe’s 350 members perished within twelve months from introduced diseases.
Survival International’s report emphasizes the severity of these interactions. It notes that all contact carries deadly risks, as it exposes uncontacted peoples to disease and is typically accompanied by land theft and the destruction of essential resources.
