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

WELLINGTON - New Zealand's government moved ahead with plans to ban children under 16 from using social media, with legislation set to be introduced to parliament on Monday.

The Online Safety Bill would require high-risk social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook, to take reasonable steps to verify that users are over the age of 16, using methods such as existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services and formal identification, said a government statement.

The legislation would also require platforms used by children to regularly assess the risks they pose and report on how those risks are being identified and reduced, it said.

Companies that fail to meet their obligations could face penalties of up to 10 percent of a platform's global revenue. The bill would also bring emerging technologies, including AI companion platforms, within the regulatory framework.

An online safety regulator would be established within the Department of Internal Affairs to independently monitor compliance, investigate platforms and enforce the law, the statement said.

"Social media is exposing them to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with and it's affecting their family life, mental health, sleep, and education," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said while making the announcement.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said the bill would bring New Zealand into line with other countries, placing greater responsibility on technology companies to protect children online.

"The bill places legal obligations on platforms. No penalties are proposed for children, their parents or caregivers," Stanford said.

Winston Peters, leader of New Zealand First, a partner in the governing coalition, said his party shared concerns about children's online safety but would not support the ban, warning that enforcement could come at the expense of parental rights, individual freedoms and privacy.

Cassandra Mudgway, a senior law lecturer at New Zealand's University of Canterbury, welcomed the proposed online safety regulator and stronger platform accountability but questioned whether a ban on social media for under-16s would achieve the government's aims.

Mudgway warned that age verification could carry significant privacy costs, saying a ban would not necessarily make the online environment safer.