New Zealand proposes social media ban for under-16s, platforms face hefty fines

Wellington, Aug 24 — The New Zealand government has introduced legislation to ban individuals under 16 years of age from using social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, joining other nations in efforts to protect young people from the potential harms associated with these sites. Australia implemented a similar ban in December, while the UK, France, and other countries have followed suit.

New Zealand's proposed law would impose fines of up to 10% of a company's global revenue on platforms like Meta if they fail to comply with age verification requirements. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that the government cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children, citing that one in three children aged 13 to 17 spend at least five hours on social media daily.

He specifically targeted Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook, urging these platforms to use various methods to verify users' ages, such as account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services, and formal ID checks. The Education Minister Erica Stanford emphasized that the Bill places legal obligations on social media platforms, but no penalties are proposed for children, their parents, or caregivers.

However, both the libertarian ACT party and the populist NZ First have expressed opposition to the bill, citing the failure of Australia's legislation and the belief that teenagers would find ways to circumvent the ban. The main opposition party, Labour, has raised concerns regarding age verification methods and the specific platforms that would be affected, highlighting the importance of the legislation for the safety of young people in New Zealand.