New Zealand moves to ban under-16s from social media in major crackdown

New Zealand's government has introduced legislation to ban under-16s from using social media, joining a growing list of nations aiming to keep young people away from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook. Australia implemented similar legislation in December, with the UK, France, and other countries following suit. Under the proposed New Zealand law, tech giants such as Meta could face fines up to 10 percent of their global revenue if they fail to comply.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon emphasized the urgent need to address the harm being inflicted on a generation of New Zealand children. He noted that one in three teenagers aged 13 to 17 spend at least five hours daily on social media. Luxon accused the platforms of exposing young users to harmful content, addictive technology, and pressures they are not prepared to handle, negatively impacting their family life, mental health, sleep, and education.

He called on the platforms to verify the ages of users over 16 using existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services, and formal ID checks. Companies would also be required to assess the risks they pose and report on how they mitigate those dangers, with penalties enforced for non-compliance.

Education Minister Erica Stanford highlighted that the bill places legal obligations on the platforms, stating that no penalties will be imposed on children, their parents, or caregivers. However, it remains uncertain whether the legislation will pass, as both the libertarian ACT party and populist NZ First have expressed opposition.

The populist NZ First criticized the Australian law, citing its "colossal failure," while ACT claimed the law would be ineffective and that teenagers could easily circumvent the ban. The opposition Labour party has raised numerous questions regarding age verification, affected platforms, and the overall effectiveness of the proposed legislation.