Source: New Zealand Government
The Government will today introduce the Online Safety Bill which will ban under-16s from social media and put greater responsibilities on technology companies to protect children online.
“We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children,” says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
“One in three children aged between 13 and 17 are now spending at least five hours on social media a day.
“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.
“Obviously, parents have a role to play in monitoring what social media platform their children are on, but so do social media companies.
“We have protections to keep children safe in the real world and we need them in the virtual world too.”
The Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill will:
- Require high risk social media platforms – like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook – to take reasonable steps to check users are over the age of 16 by using a number of methods including; using existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services and formal ID.
- Require platforms used by children to regularly assess the risks they pose and report on how those risks are being identified and reduced.
- Introduce significant penalties for companies that fail to meet their obligations – up to 10 per cent of a platform’s global revenue.
- Bring emerging technologies, including AI companion platforms, within the regulatory framework.
- Establish an online safety regulator within the Department of Internal Affairs to independently monitor compliance, investigate platforms and enforce the law.
Education Minister Erica Stanford says the Bill brings New Zealand into line with other countries around the world that are placing greater responsibility on technology companies to protect children online.
“The Bill places legal obligations on platforms. No penalties are proposed for children, their parents or caregivers,” Ms Stanford says.
“It doesn’t just introduce a minimum age requirement. It creates an enduring framework that can evolve alongside technology and holds platforms responsible for understanding and reducing the risks they create for children,” she says.
In addition to the protections introduced with this Bill, the Government will work to strengthen education and public awareness, so parents, schools and communities have the information and tools they need to help children navigate the online world safely.
“We know that we will not get every single child off social media, but early evidence from Australia shows minimum age requirements are already changing behaviour. This is about making a meaningful difference now and changing the norm for future generations,” says Mr Luxon.
The Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill will be introduced to Parliament today.
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/24/government-moves-to-ban-u16s-from-social-media/