New Zealand to introduce bill banning social media for children under 16

New Zealand is set to introduce legislation that would ban children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms. The conservative coalition government plans to present the bill to Parliament on Monday, signaling a strong stance against the online activities of minors.

The proposed law carries significant penalties for non-compliance, with fines potentially reaching up to 10% of a social media platform's global revenue. To enforce the ban, platforms would be mandated to implement reasonable measures for age verification. These measures could include utilizing existing account information, employing facial recognition technology, or requiring digital identity documents.

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We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that the government cannot stand by while a generation of New Zealand children is harmed. He highlighted concerns that social media exposes young people to harmful content, addictive technologies, and pressures they are ill-equipped to handle. Luxon added that these issues are negatively impacting children's family life, mental health, sleep patterns, and education.

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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.