New Zealand Targets Social Media Platforms With Proposed Ban on Under-16 Users

New Zealand’s government is moving to restrict social media access for children under 16, following growing international concern about the impact of online platforms on young people.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced plans to introduce a bill that would require social media companies to prevent under-16s from accessing their services.

The proposed Online Safety Bill would make platforms responsible for taking reasonable measures to establish whether users are at least 16 years old.

Possible age-verification methods include information already held by platforms, facial technology and digital identity systems.

Companies that fail to meet their obligations could face fines of as much as 10% of their worldwide revenue.

Luxon said children were being exposed to harmful content, addictive technology and online pressures that could affect their family relationships, mental health, sleep and education.

The government says one in three New Zealanders aged between 13 and 17 spends at least five hours a day on social media.

The proposal does not envisage penalties for children or their parents. Instead, the government intends to place the compliance burden on technology companies.

But the legislation faces opposition within the governing coalition.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has rejected the proposal, arguing that decisions about children’s social media use should remain primarily with parents.

The opposition means the bill’s passage through Parliament is far from certain.

New Zealand’s proposal follows Australia’s decision to introduce a similar restriction. Australia’s law took effect in December and covers major social media services.

The Australian experience has already become part of the debate in New Zealand, with critics arguing that age restrictions may be difficult to enforce and could encourage young people to find ways around the rules.

Supporters, meanwhile, say governments need to act because children can be exposed to material and online behaviour that they are not equipped to manage.

The New Zealand debate is likely to intensify as Parliament considers whether restrictions on social media represent an effective way of protecting children or an excessive expansion of government regulation into family life.