New Zealand is set to introduce legislation that would prevent children under the age of 16 from using social media, following growing concerns over the impact of online platforms on young people.
Under the proposed rules, platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook would be required to take reasonable steps to verify that users are aged 16 or above. Companies that fail to meet their obligations could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said social media was exposing children to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they may not be equipped to handle.
He said excessive social media use could also affect children’s family relationships, mental health, sleep and education.
“We have protections to keep children safe in the real world and we need them in the virtual world too,” Luxon said.
The Online Safety Bill is being introduced to Parliament on Monday. Under the proposal, social media companies could use existing account information, facial age estimation and digital identity checks to determine whether users meet the age requirement.
Platforms commonly used by children would also be required to regularly assess the risks they pose and report on measures taken to identify and reduce those risks.
Children, parents and caregivers would not face penalties for breaching the proposed ban. However, social media companies could face significantly higher fines than those imposed under Australia’s similar system.
The proposal is facing opposition from several political parties, including Act and New Zealand First, which are coalition partners in the government.
Act leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said he believed the proposed ban would not work, while New Zealand First leader Winston Peters warned that such legislation could put the country on a “slippery slope”.
Peters also described Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions, introduced in December, as a “colossal failure”, pointing to difficulties in enforcing the rules and reports that many children below the age limit continue to access restricted platforms.
New Zealand’s government has yet to specify which other platforms could be classified as “high risk” and affected by the proposed restrictions.
The move follows similar efforts in other countries, including Australia, while the UK and Greece are preparing to introduce their own restrictions next year.
Earlier this month, France’s top court rejected a proposed ban on social media for under-15s, ruling that the measure infringed upon freedom of expression.
