New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday that his party will introduce a bill to Parliament seeking to ban children under 16 from using social media.
The proposed legislation would allow fines of up to 10% of a social media platform’s global revenue if companies fail to comply.
Platforms would be required to take reasonable steps to verify users’ ages. This could include using existing account information, facial recognition technology and digital identity documents.
“We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children,” Luxon said in a statement.
“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.”
It remains unclear whether the bill has enough support to pass through Parliament. One of Luxon’s coalition partners, New Zealand First, has said it will not support the proposal.
“We have been concerned with the proposed legislation and the direction and slippery slope that legislation like this will inevitably take our country,” New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said in a post on X.
Peters, who is also New Zealand’s foreign minister, said keeping children away from social media should be the responsibility of parents.
Australia became the world’s first country to ban social media for children under 16 in December. The restrictions cover platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Peters described Australia’s legislation as a “colossal failure”.
Luxon acknowledged that enforcing the proposed restrictions would not be straightforward.
“I won’t pretend that it will be simple or that it will be perfect,” Luxon said at an event.
“We won’t get every single child off social media. Some will always find ways around it, but frankly, it’s just way too important not to at least try.”
