New Zealand Follows Australia in Move to Completely Ban Social Media for Under-16s

Luxon: "This is not a political issue, but a matter for all of New Zealand"
...Officially endorses the bill

As Australia prepares to become the first country in the world to legally ban social media use for those under the age of 16 by the end of this year, New Zealand's ruling National Party is also moving forward with a similar bill.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on May 6 (local time), New Zealand National Party lawmaker Catherine Wedd introduced a bill requiring social media companies to verify users' ages and block account creation for anyone under 16 years old.

If the bill passes, social media companies will be obligated to take all reasonable measures to confirm that users are at least 16 years old, and they may face financial penalties for violations. In addition, the responsible minister will have the authority to designate specific social media platforms as subject to age restrictions, and the effectiveness of these restrictions will be officially reviewed three years after the law takes effect.

Wedd explained, "Many parents and school principals are expressing concerns about the difficulty of controlling teenagers' social media use and its impact," adding, "This bill aims to restrict access for those under 16 in order to protect them from bullying, inappropriate content, and addiction."

Singapore’s The Straits Times reported that New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has also officially endorsed the bill. Although Wedd submitted the bill as a private member's bill, it is known that Luxon may adopt it as a government bill to expedite its passage in parliament. Luxon stated, "This is not a political issue; in fact, it is an issue for all of New Zealand," calling for bipartisan support.

Wedd's bill was drafted with reference to similar legislation passed in Australia in November of last year. Australia became the first country in the world to completely ban minors from using social media regardless of parental consent, with the law set to take effect in December. Under this law, if a person under 16 creates an account on social media platforms such as Facebook or TikTok, the platform could face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (approximately 45 billion won).

Following Australia's introduction of these regulations, other countries such as Norway and T?rkiye are also considering restrictions on youth social media use based on the Australian model. However, global big tech companies, including Meta Platforms, which operates Instagram and Facebook, and Google, have pushed back, citing concerns over fines and other issues.