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

New Zealand's government introduced legislation on Monday to ban under-16s from using social media, joining other countries in efforts to keep young people away from platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Australia implemented a world-first law in December, with the UK, France and others following suit. The proposed law in New Zealand could result in fines up to 10 percent of global revenue for companies like Meta if they fail to comply.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed concern over the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children, with one in three aged 13 to 17 spending at least five hours daily on social media. Luxon specifically targeted Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook, stating they must verify users' ages through existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services, and formal ID.

Platforms would also need to assess the risks they pose and report on efforts to reduce those dangers. Education Minister Erica Stanford emphasized the law would place legal obligations on platforms, though penalties for children, parents, or caregivers are not proposed. The bill's passage is uncertain, as both National Party coalition partners, the libertarian ACT party and populist NZ First, oppose it.

NZ First cited Australia's legislation as evidence of failure, while ACT believed the law wouldn't work and teenagers would easily circumvent it. The opposition Labour party has submitted questions on age verification and affected platforms before deciding support.