New Zealand is moving to restrict social media access for anyone under 16, but will the plan actually work?
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says children are being exposed to harmful content.
They are also being exposed to addictive technology and online pressures they are not ready to handle.
Under the proposed Online Safety Bill, platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook would have to take “reasonable steps” to verify users’ ages.
Companies that fail could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue.
The government says protecting children online should be no different from protecting them in the real world.
Critics Are Pushing Back
Coalition partners Act and New Zealand First oppose the proposal, with Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour arguing that the ban would not work.
Winston Peters called Australia’s similar policy a “colossal failure”, pointing to the difficulty of keeping under-16s off restricted platforms.
So what happens next? Platforms could use account information, facial age estimation or digital identity checks to determine users’ ages.
This raises fresh questions about privacy and enforcement.
New Zealand is following Australia, while Britain and Greece are also considering restrictions.
But with opponents warning of a “slippery slope”, the government faces a difficult question.
Can you really keep teenagers offline in an online world?
