I am a teacher and I have some kids who like to play crappy chess games together in class. They are really terrible but don't care. They just like throwing pieces around then laugh if they win.
I tell them they really need to buy the game perfection instead of playing bullet games.
/ There is doubt in your mind that this is not the answer? (I hope that if chess teaches you anything, it is to double-check your work before clicking the submit button.)
// It is certainly possible that Chess.com being the app of last resort for students is a factor. However, I think that Chess.com would like to focus on more positive factors, like word of mouth spreading about the Mittens bots and Megan and GothamChess and all the other streamers and all the exciting events being shown on ChessTV.
At any rate, your theory is difficult to verify because Chess.com does not collect age information.
Kids can really make an impact when they get interested in something. Twenty-three years ago I used to work for a game store at a mall that sold Pokemon cards. The line went out the door down to the food court. Before the Pokemon cards it was just a quiet little store trying to pay the lease by selling chess sets and other games.
It’s a combination of several factors, of course. A major one I’ve seen is the increased interest in Chess YouTube content. GothamChess (the biggest chess YouTuber) has had a rapid increase in viewership and subscriptions recently after viral videos about the new bot, Mittens. In addition, Andrew Tate (the son of Emory Tate) played a chess game recently against Piers Morgan.
Many schools have been facing the crisis of online games on school laptops which is keeping students from doing their work. Schools have no other options then to ban these websites. Causing absolute boredom is the face of students. Now the only website which is not blocked is Chess.com. Me and almost everyone else in my school have made accounts ,purchased memberships ,and downloaded the Chess.com app( no exaggeration). This is also why chess has become a lot more popular on social media platforms. Ask Gotham Chess himself. There is doubt in my mind that this is not the answer to the sudden rise in online chess.