New Zealand social media ban for under-16s introduced

New Zealand's government introduced legislation on Monday to ban under-16s from using social media, with major platforms facing possible fines of up to 10 percent of global revenue if they fail to comply.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook would be required to take “reasonable steps” to check users are over 16. The proposed checks could include existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services and formal ID.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said the bill would place legal obligations on platforms, with no penalties proposed for children, parents or caregivers. Platforms would also have to assess the risks they pose and report on how those risks are being reduced.

Luxon said one in three New Zealand children aged 13 to 17 spend at least five hours a day on social media, and argued that social media was exposing children to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures affecting family life, mental health, sleep and education.

The bill's passage is uncertain. The National Party's coalition partners, ACT and NZ First, have said they oppose it. NZ First cited what it called the “colossal failure” of similar legislation in Australia, while ACT said the law would not work and teenagers would easily get around it.

The opposition Labour Party has submitted dozens of questions before deciding whether to support the bill, including how age verification would work and which platforms would be affected. Labour spokesman Reuben Davidson said the party was taking the legislation seriously and that young people's safety was at stake.

Australia banned under-16s from platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok last year. Australia-based researchers said in a peer-reviewed study published in June that they found little evidence teenagers had turned away from social media as a result.