New Zealand plans social media ban for under-16s

The New Zealand government is preparing to introduce a bill to Parliament that would ban children under the age of 16 from using social media and impose legal obligations on technology companies regarding children's online safety.

In a statement published on the official website of the New Zealand Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said that one in three children aged 13 to 17 in the country spends at least five hours a day on social media, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

Luxon said social media exposes children to harmful content, addictive technologies and pressures they are not yet prepared to handle, negatively affecting family life, mental health, sleep and education.

He stressed that while parents have a responsibility to monitor their children's social media use, social media companies must also take responsibility.

In this context, Luxon said the government would introduce the Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill to Parliament. He acknowledged that it would not be possible to completely prevent every child from accessing social media, but said early findings from Australia indicate that minimum age limits are beginning to change behavior.

Scope of the bill

Under the proposed legislation, platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook would be required to take reasonable steps to verify that their users are over the age of 16.

Platforms could use various methods for age verification, including existing account information, facial age estimation, digital identity services and official identification documents.

Companies that fail to meet their obligations could face fines of up to 10 percent of their global platform revenues. The bill would also bring emerging technologies, such as AI-powered digital companion platforms, within the regulatory framework.

As the social media use of minors has increasingly become a focus of governments around the world, around 20 countries have introduced or announced plans to introduce regulations restricting children's access to social media.

Australia, China, Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia are among the countries that have introduced age restrictions on social media use, while the European Union has also pledged to take steps in this direction.

Photo: Chat GPT