New Zealand moves to ban social media for under-16s
The New Zealand government has introduced legislation to ban social media access for children under 16, requiring platforms to verify user ages. The bill faces opposition from coalition partners who question its feasibility and effectiveness.
Why it matters
This move aligns New Zealand with a growing global trend of governments attempting to regulate social media to protect youth mental health.
New Zealand's government introduced legislation on Monday to ban under 16s from using social media, joining a number of countries seeking to keep youngsters off sites such as Instagram and TikTok.
Australia implemented world-first legislation banning children from social media in December, with the UK, France and others following suit.
Under New Zealand's proposed law, firms like Meta could be fined up to 10 percent of their global revenue if they fail to comply.
"We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.
"One in three children aged between 13 and 17 are now spending at least five hours on social media a day," he 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."
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