Teen social media bans fail when kids just want to be popular

Australia tried to ban social media for teenagers under 16. It turns out most teens ignored the ban, with only one in four complying.

Governments in many countries are looking at banning social media for young people. This paper shows that simply making a rule is not enough when social pressure works against it. It turns out, teens need two-thirds of their friends to stop using social media before they will, which means bans need to change social norms, not just issue a mandate.