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

Screenshot of graphic from this study of Australia's social media ban: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w35162/w35162.pdf Percent of banned 14-15-year olds (b) Compliance rate, April versus June 2026 Usage rate: 64% April, 92% June Implied compliance: 27% April, 6% June Notes: Figure 5 reports self-reported past-7-day use of any banned platform.
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[–] 2 points 3 months ago

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.

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