Zeve Sanderson
@zevesanderson.com
Executive Director @csmapnyu.org
Angeleno living in NY. Figuring out snow and social media
Angeleno living in NY. Figuring out snow and social media
Reposted by Zeve Sanderson
Guests @zevesanderson.com, CDT Research Fellow @mluria.bsky.social, and guest host
@aliyabhatia.bsky.social unpack what users really think about age checks, how they shape online behavior, and what’s at stake for balancing child safety with digital rights.
@aliyabhatia.bsky.social unpack what users really think about age checks, how they shape online behavior, and what’s at stake for balancing child safety with digital rights.
Tech Talks: Age Verification
In this episode of Tech Talks, we dive into the growing debate over online age verification. While often framed as a way to protect children, these policies carry major implications for how everyone, adults and children alike, accesses the internet. Unlike showing an ID at a bar, online age checks can require the collection and […]
cdt.org
September 24, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Guests @zevesanderson.com, CDT Research Fellow @mluria.bsky.social, and guest host
@aliyabhatia.bsky.social unpack what users really think about age checks, how they shape online behavior, and what’s at stake for balancing child safety with digital rights.
@aliyabhatia.bsky.social unpack what users really think about age checks, how they shape online behavior, and what’s at stake for balancing child safety with digital rights.
I discussed our paper and the broader policy space with Jerusalem on an Atlantic podcast this spring: open.spotify.com/episode/51PT...
Can We Stop Kids From Watching Porn?
open.spotify.com
August 31, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I discussed our paper and the broader policy space with Jerusalem on an Atlantic podcast this spring: open.spotify.com/episode/51PT...
Not at all! Appreciate the pushback and think you’re doing really important work on this — glad it’s brought in conversation here
August 27, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Not at all! Appreciate the pushback and think you’re doing really important work on this — glad it’s brought in conversation here
💯 I’m excited about some of the recent platform design work I’ve seen — and lots of it takes a much broader view of discourse / information quality than veracity
August 27, 2025 at 1:23 AM
💯 I’m excited about some of the recent platform design work I’ve seen — and lots of it takes a much broader view of discourse / information quality than veracity
Lots of thoughts about why it developed this way.
And should’ve linked to your paper in our piece so hoping to boost it here! Is it under review?
And should’ve linked to your paper in our piece so hoping to boost it here! Is it under review?
August 27, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Lots of thoughts about why it developed this way.
And should’ve linked to your paper in our piece so hoping to boost it here! Is it under review?
And should’ve linked to your paper in our piece so hoping to boost it here! Is it under review?
Appreciate your read & critique! And love the paper you shared. Relative to other pieces, we don’t see this as central to our diagnosis. Our bigger issue is the broader frame that groups all information together under a single analytical lens — making veracity the central feature of communication
August 27, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Appreciate your read & critique! And love the paper you shared. Relative to other pieces, we don’t see this as central to our diagnosis. Our bigger issue is the broader frame that groups all information together under a single analytical lens — making veracity the central feature of communication
But the fight also built coalitions and energy we shouldn’t lose.
The challenge now is to sustain that momentum while redirecting efforts toward healthier, more democratic information systems.
Read here: www.noemamag.com/we-failed-th...
The challenge now is to sustain that momentum while redirecting efforts toward healthier, more democratic information systems.
Read here: www.noemamag.com/we-failed-th...
We Failed The Misinformation Fight. Now What? | NOEMA
Defending democracy in the digital age will require moving beyond the focus of fighting online misinformation.
www.noemamag.com
August 27, 2025 at 12:50 AM
But the fight also built coalitions and energy we shouldn’t lose.
The challenge now is to sustain that momentum while redirecting efforts toward healthier, more democratic information systems.
Read here: www.noemamag.com/we-failed-th...
The challenge now is to sustain that momentum while redirecting efforts toward healthier, more democratic information systems.
Read here: www.noemamag.com/we-failed-th...
Thanks for the kind words, Mike! Great ep, as usual :)
April 23, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Thanks for the kind words, Mike! Great ep, as usual :)
You can find the full working paper: osf.io/z83ev
And please DM with any feedback on the paper!
And please DM with any feedback on the paper!
OSF
osf.io
March 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
You can find the full working paper: osf.io/z83ev
And please DM with any feedback on the paper!
And please DM with any feedback on the paper!
2) More broadly, studies around content moderation, platform policies, & privacy regulations similarly show that users find ways to bypass digital restrictions. As states expand digital access laws, understanding these adaptation behaviors is crucial for effective policy design.
March 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
2) More broadly, studies around content moderation, platform policies, & privacy regulations similarly show that users find ways to bypass digital restrictions. As states expand digital access laws, understanding these adaptation behaviors is crucial for effective policy design.
This research has two key policy implications:
1) Multiple states are implementing age-verification laws this year, with others considering similar measures. Policymakers can use these findings to refine implementation strategies and future legislation.
1) Multiple states are implementing age-verification laws this year, with others considering similar measures. Policymakers can use these findings to refine implementation strategies and future legislation.
March 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
This research has two key policy implications:
1) Multiple states are implementing age-verification laws this year, with others considering similar measures. Policymakers can use these findings to refine implementation strategies and future legislation.
1) Multiple states are implementing age-verification laws this year, with others considering similar measures. Policymakers can use these findings to refine implementation strategies and future legislation.
Why does this matter? While age-verification laws may successfully reduce traffic to regulated platforms, they also appear to drive users toward potentially less regulated & more dangerous alternatives. See this @FT podcast for more on Pornhub vs XVideos: www.ft.com/content/cc9a...
Knocking on the door of a porn empire
Financial pressure pushed MindGeek to alter its practices radically. But one of its biggest rivals changed almost nothing
www.ft.com
March 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Why does this matter? While age-verification laws may successfully reduce traffic to regulated platforms, they also appear to drive users toward potentially less regulated & more dangerous alternatives. See this @FT podcast for more on Pornhub vs XVideos: www.ft.com/content/cc9a...
Using pre-registered synthetic controls, we find that users in affected states simply shift their habits by searching for non-compliant sites or ways to circumvent the laws
- PornHub searches dropped 52%
- XVideos searches increased 48.1%
- VPN searches increased 23.6%
- PornHub searches dropped 52%
- XVideos searches increased 48.1%
- VPN searches increased 23.6%
March 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Using pre-registered synthetic controls, we find that users in affected states simply shift their habits by searching for non-compliant sites or ways to circumvent the laws
- PornHub searches dropped 52%
- XVideos searches increased 48.1%
- VPN searches increased 23.6%
- PornHub searches dropped 52%
- XVideos searches increased 48.1%
- VPN searches increased 23.6%
We focused on Pornhub and XVideos for the analysis. They're both top 20 websites in the US based on traffic (and the only 2 adult sites in the top 20). They also provided a natural comparison since one (Pornhub) complied w/these laws and the other (XVideos) didn't.
March 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
We focused on Pornhub and XVideos for the analysis. They're both top 20 websites in the US based on traffic (and the only 2 adult sites in the top 20). They also provided a natural comparison since one (Pornhub) complied w/these laws and the other (XVideos) didn't.
In this paper, use Google Trends data to examine what happened after age verification requirements went into effect. Did users change their search habits? Were there differences btwn sites that complied and those that didn't? Did overall search interest in adult content change?
March 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
In this paper, use Google Trends data to examine what happened after age verification requirements went into effect. Did users change their search habits? Were there differences btwn sites that complied and those that didn't? Did overall search interest in adult content change?
While proponents argue these laws are essential to protect minors and prevent them from accessing online pornography, critics claim they are ineffective, compromise user privacy, and could drive users to less regulated platforms with more dangerous content.
March 11, 2025 at 2:18 PM
While proponents argue these laws are essential to protect minors and prevent them from accessing online pornography, critics claim they are ineffective, compromise user privacy, and could drive users to less regulated platforms with more dangerous content.