NEW ZEALAND INTRODUCES BILL TO BAN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UNDER-16S

New Zealand's government introduced legislation on Monday to ban children under 16 from using social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook. Under the proposed law, technology companies could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue if they fail to comply. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that platforms would be required to take "reasonable steps" to verify users' ages using methods such as existing account information, facial age estimation technology, digital identity services and formal identification documents.

Luxon cited concerns about social media's effects on young people, stating that one in three children aged 13 to 17 spend at least five hours daily on social media. He said the platforms expose children to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to handle, and that social media affects their family life, mental health, sleep and education. Education Minister Erica Stanford said the bill places legal obligations on platforms and that no penalties are proposed for children, their parents or caregivers. Platforms would also be required to assess risks they pose and report on how those dangers are being reduced.

The bill's passage faces uncertainty. One of the Prime Minister's coalition partners, New Zealand First, stated it would not support the legislation, citing what it described as the "colossal failure" of similar legislation in Australia. A second coalition partner, the ACT party, said it believed the law would not work and that teenagers would easily circumvent the ban. The main opposition Labour Party submitted dozens of questions it wanted answered before deciding whether to offer support, including queries about how age verification will function and which platforms will be affected.