New Zealand: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s party will introduce a bill seeking to ban children under 16 from using social media, with platforms facing fines of up to 10% of their global revenue for failing to comply.
The proposed legislation would require social media companies to take reasonable measures to verify users’ ages, including through existing account information, facial recognition technology and digital identity documents.
How Would New Zealand’s Proposed Social Media Ban Work?
Under the bill, platforms would be responsible for preventing users under 16 from accessing their services. The government says the measure is aimed at protecting children from harmful content, addictive technology and online pressures that could affect their mental health, sleep, education and family life.
Luxon acknowledged that enforcing the ban would be difficult and that some children could find ways to bypass restrictions, but said the government considered the issue important enough to act.
Will the Social Media Ban Pass Parliament?
The legislation faces uncertainty because New Zealand First, a coalition partner in Luxon’s government, has said it will not support the bill.
Party leader Winston Peters criticised the proposal and argued that keeping children off social media should primarily be the responsibility of parents. He also described Australia’s similar legislation as a failure.
Australia introduced the world’s first social media ban for children under 16 in December, covering platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. New Zealand’s proposed legislation would follow that approach but still requires sufficient parliamentary support before becoming law.