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This week we're rooting on Australia’s bold new experiment: a nationwide social media ban for teens under 16 (even though we're not quite sure how it's gonna work). With companies on the hook for massive fines, we break down how the government plans to enforce it, what apps are included, and how we would’ve handled this kind of restriction as teens ourselves. Would we support something similar in the U.S., and would parents actually help enforce it? We also talk VPN loopholes, whack-a-mole app workarounds, and the nostalgia of being slightly less online growing up.

We're also talking Hollywood’s latest attention-grabbing strategy: vertical micro-dramas. With Netflix’s bombshell bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery and streamers scrambling for our eyeballs, these 45-second, swipe-friendly “shows” are becoming a real investment. We discuss whether they work, why the “second screen problem” is driving this trend, and if TV has actually gotten worse, or if we’ve all just gotten too distracted.

We wrap with recs: Think of setting New Year’s themes, not resolutions (Andrew), vibration plates (Laura), and buying cleaning brush attachments for your drill head instead of buying a whole new cleaning appliance (Pam).

And in this week's installment of After Dark:

We get some follow up tea on family holiday drama, and we ask each other some probing questions about ourselves inspired by Teen Vogue's list of 215 questions to ask your friends. What happens when we die? Which host almost ended up with Beverly as a name?

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