New Zealand plans social media ban for under-16s

NEW Zealand plans to to ban under 16 years from social media, saying access is causing harm to a generation of the nation’s children.

The government will introduce the Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill on Monday (Aug 24), Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement.

The legislation 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, he said.

“One in three children aged between 13 and 17 are now spending at least five hours on social media a day,” Luxon said. “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.”

New Zealand is emulating Australia, where a similar law took effect in December.

Global tech giants like Meta Platforms and Alphabet were critical of the Australian legislation, which made them responsible for policing the ban under the threat of heavy fines.

Luxon said those media platform operators will need to use methods including existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services and formal ID to identify their users. They will also need to regularly assess the risks their platforms pose and report on how those risks are being identified and reduced.

Penalties for companies that fail to meet their obligations will be significant — potentially as much as 10 per cent of a platform’s global revenue, he said.

The bill will also bring emerging technologies, including AI companion platforms, within the regulatory framework, and establish an online safety regulator within the Department of Internal Affairs to independently monitor compliance, investigate platforms and enforce the law, according to the statement.

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Last year, the centre-right coalition government was unable to agree on moving ahead with a ban after junior partner ACT said an initial proposal would prove unworkable. A parliamentary select committee subsequently held an inquiry into the harms of social media on young people. BLOOMBERG