New Zealand Moves to Ban Social Media for Under-16s

 New Zealand is moving ahead with legislation that would prevent children under the age of 16 from accessing social media, as the government seeks to address concerns about the impact of online platforms on young people.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that a bill would be introduced in Parliament, saying the government could not ignore what he described as the harm being caused to a generation of children by social media. The proposal is aimed at reducing young people's exposure to harmful content, addictive technology and online pressures that officials say can affect mental health, sleep, education and family life.

Under the proposed legislation, social media companies would be required to take reasonable steps to ensure that users are at least 16 years old. Possible age-verification methods include information already held by platforms, facial-age estimation technology and digital identification documents.

Companies that fail to comply could face significant financial penalties, with the proposed maximum reaching 10 per cent of a platform's global revenue. The proposed rules would place the responsibility on social media companies rather than imposing penalties on children or their parents.

The proposal follows Australia's introduction of a similar restriction, which made it the first country to prohibit children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms. New Zealand has been considering its own restrictions for more than a year as governments around the world debate how best to protect children online.

However, the New Zealand proposal faces political obstacles. Coalition partners New Zealand First and ACT have expressed opposition, while the opposition Labour Party has not committed to supporting the legislation. The disagreement means the proposal's passage through Parliament is far from guaranteed.

Critics of the proposal have raised concerns about privacy, age-verification technology and the practical difficulty of preventing teenagers from accessing social media. Supporters argue that stronger restrictions are necessary because parents and schools are struggling to protect young people from harmful online material.

Luxon has acknowledged that enforcing the proposed ban will not be simple but maintained that the government should still take action to reduce children's exposure to online risks.

If approved, the measure would place New Zealand among a growing number of countries considering or implementing age restrictions on social media, marking another major step in the global debate over children's safety and access to digital platforms.