The New Zealand government announced it will introduce legislation on Monday to prohibit children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms. The bill, supported by the country's conservative coalition government, includes a enforcement mechanism that would fine non-compliant platforms up to 10% of their annual global revenue.
The proposal follows growing concerns regarding the impact of digital platforms on younger populations. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that social media has exposed children to addictive technology and content he characterized as harmful. Luxon further cited negative effects on the mental health, sleep, education, and family lives of children who he said are not equipped to manage these digital pressures.
Under the provisions of the bill, social media companies would be legally required to implement age-verification measures. The legislation suggests several methods for compliance, including the use of existing account data, facial recognition technology, and digital identity documents to confirm a user's age.
For the technology industry, the scale of the proposed penalties is significant, reaching up to 10% of a company’s global revenue for failing to take "reasonable steps" to block underage users. This creates a substantial financial incentive for platforms to deploy rigorous verification systems. The bill sets a precedent for how national governments may regulate global digital entities, following similar legislative efforts in neighboring Australia.
The next steps for the bill involve its formal introduction to Parliament on Monday. The source did not report specific dates for subsequent votes, public consultation periods, or the final effective date for the ban. If passed, the law will require platforms to establish new technical infrastructures for age verification to avoid the proposed financial penalties.