New Zealand Mulls Ban on Social‑Media for Kids Under 16
The New Zealand government is preparing to pass a bill that would prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from using the most popular social‑media platforms. The proposed ban covers TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook and would require companies to verify that users are over 16, using existing account data, facial‑age estimation or other digital identity checks.
Violations would trigger fines of up to 10% of a platform’s global revenue, a steep penalty that far exceeds Australia’s $99 m (£51.7 m) maximum. The legislation also obliges ‘high‑risk’ platforms to regularly assess and report on potential dangers to minors.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon warned that children experience “harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with.” He said the new law mirrors protections already in place in the real world for child safety.
The bill faces political headwinds. The Act Party and New Zealand First, both coalition partners, have indicated they will vote against it. Act leader David Seymour stated the ban would be ineffective, while NZF foreign‑affairs minister Winston Peters expressed concerns over the bill’s “slippery slope” implications. He pointed to a December 2023 Australian ban he described as a “colossal failure”, noting many children were still able to use prohibited apps.
The proposal is not the first of its kind. France’s top court recently struck down a similar ban on under‑15s for infringing on freedom of expression, and the United Kingdom is planning a midnight curfew for 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds. The New Zealand move signals a growing global trend toward tightening digital child‑access controls.
For more updates on the bill and related half‑world social‑media reforms, stay tuned to PulseWire for live coverage and crowd‑sourced fact‑checking.
