New Zealand moves to ban social media for under-16s

Wellington — The New Zealand government plans to introduce legislation banning individuals under 16 from using social media platforms, joining a growing list of nations aiming to protect younger generations from the potential harms of these sites. The Online Safety Bill has been under investigation for over a year, following Australia's introduction of similar legislation in December.

The Online Safety Bill would impose significant penalties, with companies like Meta facing fines up to 10 percent of their global revenue for non-compliance. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that the government cannot condone the harm being inflicted on New Zealand's children. According to Luxon, one in three children aged 13 to 17 now spend at least five hours daily on social media.

Luxon highlighted the negative impacts of social media on children, citing exposure to harmful content, addictive technologies, and pressures they are ill-prepared to handle. These factors, he argued, are adversely affecting children's family life, mental health, sleep patterns, and educational outcomes. He specifically named Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook as platforms that would be required to implement the measures outlined in the bill.