cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/49761199
If you have been wondering about the effectiveness of the social media ban of under 15 year olds, this study got you :)
Spoiler: 92%+ of kids age 14-15 in Australia still use it 🥳
Meanwhile IMO forced verification of users had a much better success rate 😉
Source: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w35162/w35162.pdf
Anecdotal, I realise - but my niece and all her classmates were on Instagram last year. When that was cut off from them, it wasn’t replaced (the cohort didn’t move to some other social media). So in her case, the ban has been a success. She’ll be 16 in Feb anyway.
My son on the other hand hasn’t been affected. He is on YouTube and Discord and hasn’t noticed the ban at all. He hasn’t seen any age verification stuff. So in his case, the ban has been a total fizzle.
Good to see that the nation’s revolutionary law is a booming success! /s
As expected.
So proud.
It was never about the kids, they just needed an excuse to lock down the internet and most Aussies fucking bought it. My countrymen are fucking dumb as shit, Aussies are only useful for digging holes out in the desert it would seem. Shame, we could be so much more.




