Is Your Baby Going To A Whore House?!

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode Title: Is Your Baby Going To A Whore House?!
Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty (with Katie Green)
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode covers the latest news with Armstrong & Getty’s signature irreverent humor and insightful banter. The main thread explores Australia’s new law banning social media for those under 16, parenting in the digital age, current economic anxieties in the U.S. (including inflation and interest rates), and societal implications of screen time. Other topics include political news, viral stories, and playful audience engagement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

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1. Australia Bans Social Media for Minors Under 16

Main Discussion:
Australia’s new law prohibits anyone under 16 from accessing social media, marking the strictest policy of its kind. The team discusses the rationale, practicality, implications for the U.S., and the global response.

• Why the focus on Australia?
  Joe: “Australian teenagers! How come they've been banned from social media until the age of 16? I guess it's an interesting experiment...” (02:18)
• Will it work?
  Jack: “...some stories, states have done it with porn already where you have to do age identification. But I don't know, have we done that with social media anywhere? And if not, why not?” (02:48)
• Can enforcement succeed?
  Joe: “It's pretty easily evaded...all these imperfect solutions, maybe we layer them, we experiment, we see what works and what doesn't.” (03:04)
• Comparing to U.S. regulations
  Katie details similar policies in Nebraska, Utah, Texas, Louisiana, and New York, but notes effectiveness is unclear. (22:26)

Notable Quote:
Joe: “The beauty of having a smaller country is it's almost like an individual state does have kangaroos.” (21:20)
Jack: “Is that a benefit?” (21:28)

Timestamps:

• Australia social media ban topic opens: 02:18
• U.S. state laws comparison: 22:26
• Tech company compliance and user verification: 24:12

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2. Parental Anxiety & The Impact of Screen Time

Main Discussion:
The trio delves deep into concerns about how screens and social media affect children’s mental health, learning, and development.

• Personal Experimentation:
  Joe shares: “We are pretty overjoyed about it,” citing parents enforcing their own no-phone rules (26:11)
• Clinical Perspective:
  Dr. Victoria Dunkley (audio clip): “No matter what they come in with...the first thing we do is just take them off all screens for four weeks and then see what's left. So their symptoms might disappear completely.” (26:38)
• Academic research:
  Joe references studies showing a direct link between increased screen time and lower academic performance: “The more time students spent on screens at school, the further their scores fell. And...it is absolutely uniformly clear the more screen time, the lower the scores.” (27:25)

Notable Quotes:

• Jack: “If you wonder if your kid's addicted to a phone, if they have a phone, take it away from them for a while, see how they act. That's classic addiction behavior.” (35:37)
• Dr. Dunkley: “They start going to bed earlier, their mood is better...So a lot of these symptoms that look like they have ADHD or anxiety or depression go away completely.” (26:58)

Timestamps:

• Clinical testimony: 26:38
• Research on screens in schools: 27:25
• Memory and physical books vs. screens: 29:08

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3. U.S. Economic Woes & Personal Anecdotes

Main Discussion:
The show’s signature blend of personal, political, and economic commentary is on full display.

• Interest Rates and Inflation:
  Jack expresses skepticism about today's expected Federal Reserve interest rate cut:
  “I'm not jazzed about this interest rate cut because I, I'm more worried about inflation than a quarter a point on my credit card.” (04:51) Joe adds: “Inflation is like interest compounding...3% more than the inflated number of last year, and the next year will be 4% more...” (07:21)
• Personal Costs:
  Jack: “Henry and I went to Black Bear Diner last night...It was $44. Gee money, $44. Holy cow.” (07:30)

Notable Exchange:
Jack: "Every single time you get hit with a grocery bill or you're out to eat, you're like, What? It was 44 for a couple of pancakes, bacon and you know, a breakfast for two." (08:08)
Joe: “Crazy.” (08:22)

Timestamps:

• Interest rates, inflation worries: 04:51-07:12
• Diner cost anecdote: 07:30

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4. News Headlines & Pop Culture

Main Discussion:
Katie Green rattles off major headlines, showcasing their news-of-the-day approach:

• Boat Strike Investigation:
  “House panel plans to end its boat strike probe...”
• Trump & Economy:
  “Trump says Americans are doing great even as views on the economy sour...”
  Jack notes: “He gave himself an A plus plus plus plus for his handling of the economy.” (16:15)
• Tech & Social Media:
  “Instagram gives users control of their algorithms...” (16:56)
• Outrageous Stories:
  “Doordash driver accused of pepper spraying customers’ Arby’s order resulting in the wife falling ill.” (17:18)
• Sleep & Life Expectancy:
  “Getting less than seven hours of sleep is linked to shorter life expectancy...” (18:40)

Notable Quote:
Jack (joking): “I’m legally dead.” (18:50)

Timestamps:

• News rundown: 15:21-19:04

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5. Language, Political Correctness, and Social Commentary

Main Discussion:
A comedic riff on “the R-word,” language police, and societal sensitivities.

Joe: “People who treat language like it’s magical incantations. Please grow up.” (20:16)
Jack: “Try that line on HR this afternoon when you're in the meeting about this.” (20:16-20:21)

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6. Mailbag & Listener Interactions

Main Discussion:
Listener email highlight:

• Debate on non-binary gender options in federal paperwork and gun purchase background checks (37:32)
• "Percentage Doom" and "Percentage Salvation" regarding AGI/AI risk (38:54)

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7. Humor, Banter, and Signature Moments

The episode is laced with classic Armstrong & Getty sarcasm, dad jokes, and playful arguments:

• Aerosol deodorant debate:
  Jack: “Do they still have aerosol? I didn't realize it. Well, I should start using that.” (14:44)
• Miami pig pardon:
  Jack: “You can't just say, Miami does the pig pardoning...How kind of a sentence is that?” (18:22)
• Chainsaw at the Boy Scout Christmas tree lot: Jack and Joe riff on “liability” and “insurance at the lot.” (11:24-12:12)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

1. “If you tell your kids it’s against the law to go on social media, some kids anyway are not gonna go on social media because it’s against the law.”
   — Jack Armstrong (03:18)

2. “Inflation is like interest compounding. You’re 3% more than the inflated number of last year, and the next year will be 4% more of that extra inflated number...”
   — Joe Getty (07:21)

3. “No matter what they come in with...the first thing we do is just take them off all screens for four weeks and then see what’s left. So their symptoms might disappear completely.”
   — Dr. Victoria Dunkley (clip, 26:38)

4. “People who treat language like it’s magical incantations. Please grow up.”
   — Joe Getty (20:16)

5. “You can't just say, Miami does the pig pardoning.”
   — Jack Armstrong (18:22)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------------------- |:----------:| | Australia bans social media for <16 | 02:18, 20:30-25:59 | | U.S. state approaches to social media, youth impact | 22:26 | | Screen time research & impact on youth | 26:38-29:08| | Inflation & economy anecdotes (Black Bear Diner) | 04:51-07:30| | News headlines with Katie Green | 15:21-19:04| | Language/“R-word” debate | 19:33-20:21| | Mailbag and listener emails | 35:29-38:56|

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Conclusion

In their inimitable style, Armstrong & Getty dissect the complexities of modern parenting amid new digital bans, the anxiety over a stubborn economy, and headline news, mixing serious insights with relentless humor. For listeners concerned about the impact of technology on youth, the nature of U.S. economic woes, or simply seeking a spirited take on the day’s topics, this episode delivers a fast-paced, thoughtful, and hilariously honest ride.

Transcript

[Katie Green]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know what your customers are doing right this second? The exact same thing.

[Joe Getty]

You are listening to me. Which, let's be honest, is kind of flattering.

[Jack Armstrong]

But my point Is, ads on iHeartRadio.

[Joe Getty]

Actually get heard in the car, at the gym, on the couch while people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are walking their dogs.

[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

That's right, dude.

[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Katie Green]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln Radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.

[Joe Getty]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here.

Armstrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

Live from Studio C. Seizing your.

A dimly lit room.

[Katie Green]

Hold on.

[Joe Getty]

Here we go.

[Jack Armstrong]

Deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Communications compound. And hey, midweek Wednesday. We're under the tutelage of our general manager.

[Joe Getty]

Australian teenagers. How come they've been banned from social media until the age of 16? I guess it's an interesting experiment in trying to protect kids from the evils of the interwebs.

[Jack Armstrong]

That'll give them plenty of time to practice their didgeridoos and Right.

[Joe Getty]

Craft their shrimp on the barbie recipes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Pet their koalas or whatever they need to do.

[Joe Getty]

And evade the killer snakes, insects, spiders, sharks and koalas of Australia.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I look forward to talking about that later. And I look forward to seeing how that Experiment works. And maybe we ought to do it here in the United States or have some states done it already? Now some stories, states have done it with porn already where you have to do age identification. But I don't know, have we done that with social media anywhere? And if not, why not?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's pretty easily evaded, I think. But you know, all these imperfect solutions, maybe we layer them, we experiment, we see what works and what doesn't, why it doesn't work. Gotta try something. The kids are getting ruined.

[Jack Armstrong]

Certainly a variety of things. A lot of things in my life I've not done because they were against the law.

If you tell your kids it's against the law to go on social media, some kids anyway are not gonna go on social media because it's against the law.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right. Certainly could change the societal calculus, which is a fancy sounding sentence that means it could work some.

[Jack Armstrong]

Our general manager could have been Ma. Ma, Is that how we're gonna pronounce it?

[Joe Getty]

Ma.

[Jack Armstrong]

As opposed to Maga or Maha?

[Joe Getty]

Sounds like your dentist just asked you a question you're trying to answer.

[Jack Armstrong]

So how's your summer.

Kids doing well in school.

Affordable again.

That's the new slogan.

[Joe Getty]

And I'm a little pronunciation.

[Jack Armstrong]

We'll play from clips from Trump's 90 minute rally last night. I don't need to. If Jesus returns. Hey, wrap it up at like 45.

[Joe Getty]

Minutes, two hours, come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know who wants to hear anybody talk that long, but, um.

We'Ll play some clips from that a little bit later, but. And he's going to go across the country at these rallies, you know, trying to talk up economic success and he thinks the messaging is bad, is why the poll numbers are where they are on people's attitudes about the economy and remind people that hey, gas prices are dang dang low and they are and all that sort of stuff. But.

The interest rate situation today. So they're almost certainly going to cut interest rates today, but of the 12 member panel of the Fed that do the voting, it's going to be a split vote, they think, as opposed to a unanimous vote. And the no votes are worried that because inflation this last month was actually higher than a year ago and they're worried inflation's going to go up if we do another interest rate cut. That. And so I'm not jazzed about this interest rate cut because I, I'm more worried about inflation than a quarter a point on my credit card.

[Joe Getty]

Right. I would agree, I would agree. The things. And I don't know how many speeches it will take to turn the tide of public perception about, you know, people's pocketbooks. There's kitchen table issues.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know if you have to ba. Like a sheep.

[Joe Getty]

A sheep. Is that what that sounded like to you?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, but it sounded like to you, Katie.

[Katie Green]

A goat.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sound like a goat.

[Joe Getty]

I'm just being difficult.

[Jack Armstrong]

Slicing it kind of thin there.

[Katie Green]

It sounded stupid.

[Joe Getty]

It's.

What's, what's that broad category of animals that includes both sheep and goats?

[Jack Armstrong]

I think you're right there. I should know that as I've had many, many, many, many, many of them around me in my life.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Heck, you're the goat of goats for your county. Yeah. As I was starting to say, though, I get how counterbalancing the utter unfairness of the media is a pretty good strategy for the Trump administration. I'm not sure how effective it'll be. And again, his incredible self indulgence, you gotta tighten it up.

Two hours of rambling about just everything.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's working pretty well for him for decade or so now. But.

The interest rate cut, though, if, if the, if the, there are more yes votes and no votes on cutting the interest rate. And I hope the s votes are right, because if, if inflation, like, if we're doing a dance here with inflation and an interest rate cut causes to go up, ain't no amount of rallies talking about affordability going to make any difference if inflation comes back to where it's like, noticeable.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Absolutely true. Holy. Especially because for the umpteenth time, inflation is like interest compounding.

You're big, you're 3% more than the inflated number of last year, and the next year will be 4% more of that extra inflated number, et cetera, et cetera.

[Jack Armstrong]

Henry and I went to Black Bear Diner last night.

Pretty low priced little diner, chain diner in California. And he had pancakes with bacon. And I had the same thing I always get every single time I go. Chicken fried steak, hash browns, two eggs over easy with wheat toast, but oh, yes, that's a good meal. I get the small, but.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, they have sizes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, they have regular. Interesting. And I get small.

[Joe Getty]

It was $44. Gee money, $44. Holy cow. Did you order a nice bottle of Cab along with your chicken water?

[Jack Armstrong]

We drink waters.

And I mean, I gotta believe most Americans are the same as me, that every single time you get hit with a grocery bill or you're out to eat, you're like, What? It was 44 for a couple of pancakes, bacon and you know, a breakfast for two.

[Joe Getty]

Crazy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. So it'll take a while to turn that around. And if inflation comes back, and that's $48 this summer, it ain't gonna be good.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Agreed.

[Jack Armstrong]

I hope them Feds know what they're doing. How much political pressure you think they feel? Old. Too late. So stupid. Like talking to a chair.

[Joe Getty]

Ah, they're aware. They're certainly aware of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

God, I wouldn't think you'd care at all. A lot of these guys are bank presidents and all kinds of very successful people and be like, whatever, say what you want about me, nobody knows who I am. I'm voting this way. You know, I get. I'll leave the Fed and I'll go back to my life, which was perfectly fine before.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I don't know. That's. That rings true to me, too. Yeah. I don't know. I'm just fed up with the whole thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well. What?

[Joe Getty]

Life.

[Jack Armstrong]

Was that a cry for help?

[Joe Getty]

No. No, I think that was a cry for help. No, I couldn't be better. Just the. The political scene, I just. It's just. It's liars and morons yelling at each other. It's just not entertaining after a while.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, no, but the economy is for real. And I just don't want people pulling the levers to pull the right levers or hold on to the lever and leave it alone until it needs to be pulled. I don't have any idea what's right.

[Joe Getty]

Leave the levers.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly. They just watching an economist. And of course they. They're all guessing, but expecting it to be an incredibly slow spring for housing buying and selling homes, very little movement between people's attitudes and the fact that people are still stuck in there. I heard somebody talking the other day, a reporter on a podcast, how she's got a. I think she said a 1% loan. I didn't know anybody got them that low. We have pretty low one on our house. And that I can't imagine ever leaving.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because how are you gonna. You know, we all know the math doesn't work on that. You can decide. I'm gonna downsize by half. And you're still gonna end up with a higher payment when you leave your current loan situation.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. I've been looking at this and thinking about this for years now, and the only thing that shakes people loose is major life change transferred to a different city or you're. You're no longer north of the dirt.

Life change.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's a major life change.

[Joe Getty]

We got married. We Had a kid sometimes. Yeah, it's. It's crazy. Unprecedented.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Let's start the show officially. I don't remember what the opening clip is, so that's exciting. I need to learn how to say that. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. It is Wednesday, November 10, the year 2025. We're Armstrong Getty, and we approve this program.

[Joe Getty]

Let's begin then, officially, according to FCC rules and regs, here comes the show at Mark.

[Katie Green]

Manhattan Federal Judge Paul Engelmeier approved the.

[Joe Getty]

Release of sealed grand jury transcripts and evidence related to the indictment and eventual.

[Katie Green]

Conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell.

[Joe Getty]

He warns anyone hoping for new bombshells will be disappointed.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. So the judge who yesterday said, I'm going to release all the Maxwell stuff, said, I've looked at it, there ain't nothing there.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Don't get all excited and lead the news with it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Joe Getty]

I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Shocking.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I know.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was just reminded that today is the 10th. So my son has a shift at the Christmas tree lot tonight. My youngest in Boy Scouts. So the Boy Scout Christmas tree lot. We have to work a couple of two hour shifts as part of our duty. And that'll be fun. Tonight I think I get to use a chainsaw, which is very exciting, but wow.

Just throw you in there with a. You ever use a chainsaw before? Yes, I have. Go ahead. And then next thing I know, I'm the American spirit.

[Joe Getty]

You remember our favorite mountain Christmas tree lot way back in the day. Hey, I showed up with my chainsaw, as usual one year. And they said, I'm sorry, you can't use that. Our insurance liability coverage won't permit it anymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. But this lot is. They're already chopped down. It's just like.

[Joe Getty]

So I chase the guy around the lot with my chainsaw. I'll give you a liability.

[Jack Armstrong]

Of course, you were wearing a hockey mask because it's summertime or wintertime.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. In case the hockey game breaks out.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. People freaked out.

[Katie Green]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

So we got Katie's headlines on the way. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So good memories.

[Katie Green]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

And at Christmas time of all time.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

We got Katie's headlines, more news of the day, what they're doing on Australia and what we think of that. I got a. What was. I had a story about some. Oh, Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina went nutso on some TSA cops and stuff like that. At the airport the other day, I.

[Joe Getty]

Got a story about something I saw.

[Jack Armstrong]

Along those lines one time. Some people yelling at cops, people of privilege yelling at Cops and how bad I felt for the cops. I still remember it was 30 years ago. It's horrifying to watch. Anyway, lots on the way. Stay with us.

[Katie Green]

Armstrong and Getty run a business. And not thinking about podcasting. Think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ads supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, iHeart's twice as large as the next two combined. So whatever your customers are into, true crime, sports, comedy, culture, they'll hear your message. Plus, only iHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio. And all this reach means everything. Just think about the universal marketing. The number of consumers who hear your message times the response rate equals the results. Now let's get those results growing for you. Think podcasting can help your business? Think iHeart streaming radio and podcasting. Let us show [e-mail] that's iheartadvertising.com or call 844-844 iHeart. One more time, call 844-844-IHEART and get podcasting working for you.

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[Jack Armstrong]

Us what's really going on.

[Katie Green]

What we found is that 84% of Gen Z daters do want deeper emotional connections, but they're 36% more hesitant than millennials to start a deep conversation. And that's what we call the communication gap. Space between wanting connection and making a move. You can ask one better question and start closing the gap today. Learn more in Hinges 2025 Gen Z Day report now [e-mail].

[Jack Armstrong]

Do you use dry antiperspirants put under your arm or like, the wet kind?

[Joe Getty]

The wet kind.

[Jack Armstrong]

Katie.

[Katie Green]

I use the aerosol, so I don't.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is that dry air?

[Joe Getty]

So look at you, all Fancy.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is 1978. I didn't know these. Do they still have. They still have aerosol. I didn't realize it. Well, I should start using that.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Different propellants than back in the day, don't you know? Can't have a hole in the ozone layer.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. Yeah, I don't know. The dry, I feel like it's hard to wash off later. And then the wet, like it eats my underarms all wet. And I feel wet.

Sharing the spray I like. I'm gonna try the aerosol. Thanks for the tip. There you go. That's my tip of the day. Appreciate that.

[Katie Green]

Anytime.

[Joe Getty]

Let's figure out who's reporting what it's the lead story with Katie Green. Katie?

[Katie Green]

Well, of course, the boat strike remains at the top. So here's a few of the headlines from the Washington Post. House panel plans to end its boat strike probe. On the Independent, Hegseth tells congressional leaders he is weighing the release of the boat strike video. And from the BBC, Congress updates its pressure to release the boat strike video with a threat to Hegseth travel budget.

[Jack Armstrong]

So you think he's just trying to wait it out. Something happens, people forget about it.

[Joe Getty]

You know, that was my thought. It's just classic foot dragging. It's interesting, the dynamics, though, that you have the committee saying, all right, we're ending the investigation, but yet Congress as a whole, which is dominated by Republicans, is saying, yeah, come, come out with the video or we're not going to let you travel anymore. Interesting.

[Katie Green]

From the New York Times, Trump says Americans are doing great even as views on the economy sour.

[Jack Armstrong]

He was interviewed. He gave himself an A plus plus plus plus.

[Katie Green]

Oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

For his handling of the economy. And then he truthed out one of the longest truths he's ever truthed out last night. There has never been a president that has worked as hard as me.

That might be true.

[Katie Green]

Yeah. From the Wall Street Journal, CEOs are all in on AI. A new survey is showing that CEOs expect AI not only to boost productivity and their economic growth.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'll have to read that. So that's not the AI companies is just regular companies out there thinking AI is going to be big. And we're paying attention.

[Katie Green]

From abc. Instagram gives users control of their out algorithms and a new feature.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what I want. I want that with YouTube. I want it with Instagram. I want with everything. It's like, all right, I was on a kick about British comedies there for a second. It's not my only interest in life. Show me something else.

[Katie Green]

From the New York Post, Doordash driver accused of pepper spraying customers. Arby's order resulting in the wife falling ill.

[Joe Getty]

So who did, who did the spray?

[Katie Green]

The door dash driver. And it all got caught on their ring camera because, duh, everybody has one these days. But the chick drops the bag, takes a picture of the delivery and then pulls pepper spray out of her pocket and just sprays the whole order down.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, she's a lunatic.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Katie Green]

I'm wondering if it was like tip retaliation or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

No.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. USA Today, we need more jails, lots more jails. Plenty of room.

[Katie Green]

From USA Today, a pig named Six Seven is pardoned, saved from being a holiday meal. This Was in Miami.

[Joe Getty]

A lot to hate there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yep.

[Katie Green]

Miami does the pig pardoning. And this year's pig was named six.

[Jack Armstrong]

You can't just say, miami does the pig pardoning.

[Katie Green]

They pardon a pig.

[Jack Armstrong]

How kind of a sentence is that? I got it.

[Joe Getty]

I thought it was fine. Yeah, obviously it's a thing in Miami. I've had Cuban pork dishes of various sorts. Whoa. Those Cuban folks know their way around a hog. Oh, yeah.

[Katie Green]

Study finds getting less than seven hours of sleep is linked to shorter life expectancy across America.

[Jack Armstrong]

Dang it.

[Katie Green]

I'm legally dead.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, me too. I'm sure I've shaved off the half dozen years of my life.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, not me. I'm going to be 100 live to 135. I'd be asleep now if I had the choice.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wish I could do that.

[Katie Green]

And finally, the Babylon be special needs community demands that people stop comparing them to Tim Walls.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. Oof.

[Jack Armstrong]

He was upset over the weekend. He said people are driving by his houses. His house. And yelling the R word.

[Katie Green]

And they are. And they're filming themselves doing it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Gotta admit, I'd be tempted.

[Joe Getty]

It's not funny. Got the phone turned around for a little selfie. Hey, our word.

[Katie Green]

This guy had a bullhorn. It's just.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is it our word now? I mean, is it so toxic that.

[Joe Getty]

You can't even say no?

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, good.

[Joe Getty]

Perfectly.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, please. Good luck in your next career.

[Joe Getty]

It means decreased. It's a perfectly legitimate word if you don't want to use it to describe humans who are developmentally disabled for some reason. Okay. Heard somebody talking about the timing on an old timey car engine. Either advance the timing or you retard it. That's the term. Oh, get over it. People who treat language like it's magical incantations. Please grow up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Try that line on HR this afternoon when you're in the meeting about this.

[Joe Getty]

If I tell them to grow up, I'd do it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, tell him to grow up. We got more news to get to. If you missed a segment, get the.

[Joe Getty]

Podcast Armstrong and Getty.

[Katie Green]

A new law is set to take effect this week in Australia to keep.

[Joe Getty]

Children under 16 off social media, which.

[Katie Green]

Means millions of children in Australia will.

[Joe Getty]

Finally put their phones down, go outside, get bit by something, and die.

[Jack Armstrong]

So this story is getting a tremendous amount of attention. And why do you think that is?

[Joe Getty]

I think everybody's aware that the omnipresence of screens has really impacted humankind, especially the young. And we're trying to figure out what to do with it and how to minimize the harm.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's kind of interesting that. So clearly it's a topic people think about a lot, parents think about a lot, are worried about yet. We haven't done this or anything.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Katie Green]

The.

[Joe Getty]

The beauty of having a smaller country is it's almost like an individual state does have kangaroos.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is that a benefit?

[Joe Getty]

Well, it factors in, certainly, but you can experiment like a state would, but it has the weight of the nation of Australia when you know how many. What's the population of Australia like? 450 people?

[Jack Armstrong]

6, 700 people?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. So it gets a lot of attention because it's a country.

Blah, blah, blah. So, anyway, on a more serious note, here's what you need to know about it. 30, Michael.

In Australia, the social media ban for all children under 16, the first of its kind.

[Jack Armstrong]

Australia's prime minister saying the ban is aimed at protecting children, supporting families.

[Joe Getty]

Social media companies calling the band Misguided population. They are.

[Jack Armstrong]

The population of Australia is 27 million people, significantly smaller than California.

[Joe Getty]

Mm.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. And way more kangaroos. Let's see. Well, why not? Let's turn to the lead clip number 31.

[Katie Green]

State laws are sort of all over the map. Nebraska requires social media platforms to verify the ages of users and get parental consent for minors to create new accounts. Utah, Texas, Louisiana are requiring app stores to verify users ages and get parental consent for new downloads. New York is banning what it calls addictive social media feeds. But I do think that we'll see both US States and other jurisdictions around the world watching what happens with this Australia ban, and crucially, how effective this law is at actually keeping teens off of these platforms.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, so there's something I didn't know. So we're already doing it in the United States, Nebraska's doing it. And then there's other versions in other states.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right. Let's see.

[Jack Armstrong]

So the thing I don't know that I brought up yesterday is does Australia have more control over their Internet than the United States does over theirs?

[Joe Getty]

You know, in reading about this, I don't actually know the. The answer to that question, but everybody's admitting that. Look. Well, for instance, the Prime Minister said he's under Anthony Albanese is his name. He says he's under no illusions. The teenage social media use will be curbed overnight. Quote, this won't be perfect. Just like CH last night, somewhere in Australia, someone under 18 got a drink in a pub. That's the legal drinking age in Australia. But he said the government expects compliance. This is the law. The ban Platforms are heavily used by Australian teens. Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat threads, TikTok, Twitch X and YouTube.

The companies are now required to take reasonable steps to enforce the new rules. Under threat of penalty, parents and children won't be fined for using the apps.

A tech company said they'd comply with the ban. Some began deactivating accounts before the law came into effect. Several others said they began notifying users believed to be under 16 that they need to verify their age with identification or by providing a selfie for facial analysis.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm not sure if I understand the definition of social media since they throw in YouTube often.

Are you?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are you commenting on your friends? I mean, I definitely understand, like how Facebook is social media.

[Joe Getty]

YouTube Shorts is a lot like Tick Tock. Even that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I, I don't, I'm lost because I don't do these things. How is that, in what sense is that social media that is damaging to kids?

[Joe Getty]

Well, I only understand the Facebook because.

[Jack Armstrong]

I always, I always picture like Facebook where they've got a post with, I don't know, there's like a, a high school group where all the cool people are commenting on everything all the time. And if you're not in the in group, you're feeling out and they're making fun of you or whatever. But I, I can't picture that how that works on Instagram or YouTube. Katie's young. Maybe you can.

[Katie Green]

Well, with Instagram, YouTube and tick tock, you can not only post your own content, but you can repost other people's content and then get feedback from other people. So that turns it into a social media platform. So you.

[Jack Armstrong]

And so people are reading the comments enough?

[Katie Green]

Oh, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

I think you're fixating on one aspect of Internet life to the exclusion of endlessly scrolling short videos and having your brain turned to mush. Because a lot of parents are as concerned about that as cyber bullying or sextortion.

[Jack Armstrong]

But they're calling that. That's just everything online, isn't it? I mean, absolutely everything.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I, I would agree. Yeah. The terms are.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, does that with basketball highlights. I mean, everything well.

[Katie Green]

And all of these apps also have a mess feature as well, so you can contact users directly.

[Joe Getty]

In Australia, many parents are on board. We are pretty overjoyed about it. Said staff, a high school teacher in rural Victoria who has two children. He started a group that encourages parents to delay giving young people smartphones. On it goes. So now, I think would be a perfectly appropriate time. To my point of a second or two ago, this Is a doctor by the name of Victoria Dunkley.

Talking about? Well, I think she explains herself pretty well in 33, Michael.

[Katie Green]

No matter what they come in with, whether it's depression, anxiety, adhd, or whatever their complaints are, the first thing we do is just take them off all screens for four weeks and then see what's left. So their symptoms might disappear completely. Other kids, you know, their symptoms might be cut down and they still might have a diagnosis, but they are functioning much better.

[Joe Getty]

And a lot of times we can.

[Katie Green]

Get away with not using medication. Especially for younger kids, you can see results really within a few days.

[Joe Getty]

But even with teens, they physically change.

[Katie Green]

Yes. They start going to bed earlier, their mood is better. Parents report that they are more engaged, they come out of the room more, they're happier. So a lot of these symptoms that look like they have ADHD or anxiety or depression go away completely.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is highly, highly troubling.

[Joe Getty]

It is. And yet it is, in a way, good news. It's like we've figured out why kids are dying of polio and now we've just got to come up with a vaccine, for instance. And I hearken back to a story we were talking about yesterday when we were discussing education in general and how miserably failing it is in the United States government schools ought to be torn down to the studs. Anyway, this study that showed the more time students spent on screens at school, the further their scores fell. And from zero hours a day to one minute to one hour, one to two hours, two to four hours, four to six hours, six hours, etc. This is @ school, schools that used high tech, educational, you know, tools. And it is absolutely uniformly clear the more screen time, the lower the scores. Here's the graph in math, here's the graph in science, here's the reading scores. They're all exactly the same. And they describe, as we mentioned yesterday, that the kids just don't focus this. It's like they're watching a really boring YouTube video and they're not into it. I wonder if they don't get any work.

[Jack Armstrong]

Done. I wonder if it matters what you're watching on the screen, though, as opposed to just calling anything on a screen. Screen time. Because I watched a lot of TV in my life, my ability to pay attention didn't go away. Like when I was 25 years old and I was watching lots of TV, I couldn't. It didn't. It didn't affect my ability to read a book. The stuff I do now, looking at a screen does affect my ability to read a book, there's something.

[Joe Getty]

Different.

Yeah. You know, some of the science behind this is crazy interesting. They mentioned that when you read a real book, a physical book read from paper, each word occupies a fixed physical location. They say if you're reading a printout of this piece right now, this sentence exists right here, and this spatial position becomes part of the memory you're forming. This is why readers often remember where in a book an idea appeared, even if they couldn't recall the exact.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wording. Yeah, that's. You know, that's interesting. That's one of the things I don't like about the Kindle experience. I don't have that as well.

Remembering where in a book to find.

[Joe Getty]

Something. Yeah. When I read this, it was like a light bulb going on in my head because it's absolutely true. If I am trying to remember an idea or a specific quote or a dramatic passage of a book, I can see physically where it is in the thickness of the book. Roughly. And where that stuff was on the page. It never even dawned on me that that was part of the memory, but it's clearly true. There's more on this in a moment or.

[Jack Armstrong]

Two. Unless you force people, there's no way you're gonna bring back paper books.

[Joe Getty]

Now. We need to force them, Jack. We need to force people to read physical books so we don't lose our freedom. A word from our friends at Omaha Steaks. It's the sizzle all the way. Well, first of all, Omaha Steaks, we are both steak nuts. A bad steak is more than a disappointment. It's an insult. Only really good steaks in Omaha. Steak is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Amazing. It's an insult to the.

[Joe Getty]

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[Katie Green]

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Out. I feel like with this conversation you need to discuss.

Realistic attempts to change things.

[Joe Getty]

Back. Or maybe I'm.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wrong. Maybe. Maybe you can make crazy, violent.

Sweeping changes if the laws are strict enough. Rules are strict.

[Joe Getty]

Enough. This is. This is the disagreement we have. It's not a disagreement, it's just a different in difference in point of view. Every time we talk about this stuff, I'm just. I just care about individuals, about myself and people I care about and people listening right now. Societal change is so beyond anything I can accomplish. I just. You're right about your pessimism. 100% right. I just think since I can't accomplish that, I'm gonna try to accomplish.

[Jack Armstrong]

This. I mean, could you ever. I could see this happening. I could see us deciding that getting a smartphone before you're 18 is just a bad idea. And my kids, my especially my oldest, wouldn't need a smartphone if all his friends didn't have a smartphone. Your kid. If all your. If your kids friends have a smartphone and he. They don't, it's. It's a great.

[Joe Getty]

Disadvantage. Oh, sure, I understand that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. But if none of them had it, I mean, we all lived without them. Fine. We figured out a way where to meet Friday night at 7.

[Joe Getty]

O'.

[Jack Armstrong]

Clock. Somehow we got the word.

[Joe Getty]

Out. Yeah, yeah, yeah, agreed. It'll become like, you know, you'd hear your. Your neighbor gave your kid a bottle of whiskey and the keys to the car. You'd think they were insane. It could happen. So societally, I'm not optimistic. But. So anyway, back to the science of this stuff, which is so interesting. You remember where in a book an idea appeared, even if you can't recall the exact wording. But digital text has no such stability. If you're scrolling through the piece that I'm reading right now from on a computer phone, the sentence first appeared at the bottom. Now it's near the middle, it'll soon vanish out of the top, et cetera. And with no fixed location for ideas to attach to, a spatial scaffold that supports memory collapses As a result, reading from screens often triggers an unconscious shift from deep comprehension to shallow skimming, which they can see with scientific methods of watching your eyeballs, which is glancing, scrolling, and extracting instead of truly reading. And they illustrate it Visually, I.

[Jack Armstrong]

Don'T know if I believe.

[Joe Getty]

This. Are you arguing with.

[Jack Armstrong]

Science? Well, I know. I know. Specifically, I could call her if I wanted to, a neuroscientist with a PhD who claims the science says there's no difference between reading on a. On us reading a Kindle book or reading a regular book. And the way you take in the information and absorb doesn't mean they're right. But I just. Intuitively, I believe that certainly I. I could. Like I said, I recognize the part of I don't remember where in a book, so that's something. But I don't know if I. I don't know. I've read a lot of books both ways, and I just don't know if I feel like I'm getting a lesser.

[Joe Getty]

Experience. Yeah. They cite the fact that this exam, the PISA exam, What is that? It's an acronym. Clearly. It's a reading comprehension exam. The scores dropped so sharply after the test moved online. And it's why the SAT, when it went digital in 2024, quietly redefined reading comprehension.

[Jack Armstrong]

Altogether. Well, you know, it's interesting as I'm arguing this, because, like much to our executive producer Mike Hansen's dismay, I like everything printed out on paper. I don't like going to a screen to get all of our show stuff. I hate it. I hate looking at a screen and having it there. I just like it physically knowing where it is and organizing it that way. It's easier for me to organize in my mind physically likely.

[Joe Getty]

Than.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Something on a computer screen. So I don't.

[Joe Getty]

Know.

No, no. And I'm all for science digging into this stuff and. Oh, heck, yeah. I think it's. It's understanding. Yeah. Okay, need to take a break. Mailbag coming up in.

[Jack Armstrong]

Moments. Awesome. Stay.

[Joe Getty]

Tuned. Armstrong and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Getty. Yeah, we'll talk more about this.

[Joe Getty]

Later. But if you wonder if your.

[Jack Armstrong]

Kid'S addicted to a phone, if they have a phone, take it away from them for a while, see how they act. That's classic addiction.

[Joe Getty]

Behavior. My booze, my mask, my phone, even. Five minutes. Yeah, maybe. All right, more on this to come. There's a lot to say. Here's your freedom loving quote of the day. It's a little longish. Maybe we'll get to Mailbag next hour. I don't know. It's. Joel Rafiti wrote this. He's an academic of some sort. But I absolutely love this. And I can't remember if I've read this before, but if I did, it's in the wrong file. And you're gonna hear it again. Socialists perform compassion. Capitalists live it. That probably sounds insane to people who've been indoctrinated to believe that caring means redistributing wealth by force. But here's the reality. Capitalism requires you to care about other people's needs. It asks of you, what problems can I solve? What value can I create? What do people actually want and need? Your success is directly tied to how well you serve others. You can't force people to buy from you. You can't coerce them into using your product or.

[Jack Armstrong]

Service.

Yeah, I think the problem is socialism sort of promises there won't be losers. Capitalism sort of guarantees there will be winners and.

[Joe Getty]

Losers. Yeah, socialism is a is a philosophy for children.

And those who have yet to grow up and recognize the way human beings really are. Mailbag, Drop us a note. Mailbagarmstrongandgetti.com Aaron writes, Colonialism is a good, good thing. Look at this. There are thousands of videos from various S hole countries where young men are exhuming old graves for clicks and Facebook reels. This must stop. Oh my Internet viral ghoulishness. Digging up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Graves. I hadn't heard.

[Joe Getty]

This. Messing with the bones.

[Jack Armstrong]

Whatever. Oh my God, that's the worst thing I've ever.

[Joe Getty]

Heard. Stay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tuned. I gotta look into that. I'll let you know.

[Joe Getty]

See? Non binary. Wtf Al Anonymous writes, a friend of mine was purchasing a gun and filling out the federal background check. He noticed that for gender they had three options. Male, female and non binary. Yeah, hoping they're using this to weed out anyone who checks non binary. Because if you don't know what your sex is, there's not a chance in hell you should be allowed to buy a gun. Tell Trump to fix this. I will next time I talk to him. Tell Trump to fix this. Well, do I save this one? I got this a couple days ago, but I liked it. JT and Livermore says, I'm not against the notion of a P doom metric. That's your percentage. You think AI will doom humanity? He says, but I also want to pair it with the P Salvation number. Sure, superintelligence would be something new and unproven. Could go pear shaped for mankind. But it isn't as if we're 100% safe if AGI is never built. Look at all the great threats that might happen if we never built the AGI. Nukes in all their forms. Bioweapons, supervolcano, volcano eruptions, economic collapse, climate apocalypse, Smod. Mark Zuckerberg, Democrat policies. Sex robots. Good list. Maybe having an AGI is the only way to deal with some or all of the pending disasters. So when you tell me your P Do number, P doom number, also tell me the percentage likelihood that an AGI would be necessary to solve protect us from things too complicated or too difficult for us to solve on our own. AKA your P salvation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Number.

[Joe Getty]

Interesting. Great thought. Really interesting. Let's see. We got 30 seconds. Oh, dang it. Got a great baby vaccine. Email from a loyal listener. Sleepless in Danville. Maybe next hour we'll squeeze that.

[Jack Armstrong]

In. Baby's gonna have the.

[Joe Getty]

Hepatitis. I don't think the baby is. Where's the baby gonna get the hepatitis? Is it going to a whorehouse? No, it's not. It's a baby. It's right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here. Be an odd thing for a baby to do. We've got a lot more. An hour, too. If you miss a segment or an hour, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on.

[Joe Getty]

Demand.

Armstrong and.

[Katie Green]

Getty.

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