Sawt Falasteen - New Zealand moves to ban social media for under-16s

New Zealand has been investigating a social media ban for over a year, after neighbouring Australia implemented its world-first legislation in December.

Under the Online Safety Bill, 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.

In announcing the Online Safety Bill, Luxon said "one in three children aged between 13 and 17 are now spending at least five hours on social media a day".

"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," he said.

Luxon specifically called out platforms Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook, saying they would be required to take "reasonable steps to check users are over the age of 16".

They would have to use "existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services and formal ID" to verify age.

Platforms would also be required to assess the risks they pose as well as report on how those dangers are being reduced, and penalties would be introduced for companies that fail to comply.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Bill "places legal obligations on platforms".

"No penalties are proposed for children, their parents or caregivers," Stanford said.

It's unclear whether the bill will pass, as both National Party's coalition partners -- the libertarian ACT party and NZ First -- have said they oppose it.

In a statement, the populist NZ First said they could not support the law given the "colossal failure" of the legislation in Australia, while ACT said they believed the law "won’t work", and teenagers would easily get around the ban.

Australia last year banned under 16s from the likes of Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, in a crackdown designed to protect children from online bullying and "predatory algorithms".

A team of Australia-based researchers in a peer-reviewed study published in June found little evidence to suggest teenagers have turned away from social media as a consequence, however.

N.Awad--SF-PST