New Zealand Plans Bill to Ban Social Media for Children Under 16
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that his party will present a bill in Parliament aimed at prohibiting children under 16 from accessing social media, suggesting penalties of up to 10% of a platform's worldwide revenue for failing to comply.
The legislation would mandate social media companies to implement reasonable measures to confirm users' ages, such as using current account data, facial recognition technology, and digital identification documents.
"We cannot allow the suffering inflicted on a generation of children in New Zealand," Luxon stated.
Social media is subjecting them to detrimental material, addictive devices, and stresses they aren't prepared to manage, impacting their family dynamics, mental well-being, sleep, and learning.
It was unclear at first whether the bill would receive enough backing to be approved by Parliament, as one of Luxon's coalition partners, the New Zealand First party, stated it would not support it.
"We are worried about the suggested law and the trajectory and dangerous path that such legislation will inevitably lead our nation," says New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, who also serves as the foreign minister, in a post on X.
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In December, Australia emerged as the first nation globally to prohibit social media for those under 16, restricting access to platforms such as TikTok, Alphabet's YouTube, and Meta's Instagram and Facebook.
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Peters remarked that the legislation had been a "tremendous failure," stating that it is up to parents to keep children away from social media.
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"I won't act as if it will be easy or that it will be flawless," Luxon stated at an event.
"We won't be able to remove every child from social media." Some will always discover methods to circumvent it, but honestly, it's simply far too vital not to make an effort.