New Zealand Proposes Social Media Ban for Children Under 16
6 sources across 5 countries
Who reported this
- The Guardian
- BBC News
- Folha de S.Paulo
- Deutsche Welle
- South China Morning Post
- The Japan Times
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
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The New Zealand government has introduced the Online Safety Bill, which seeks to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that the measure is necessary because social media exposes children to addictive technology, harmful content, and pressures that negatively impact their mental health, sleep, education, and family life. He noted that one in three youths aged 13 to 17 spend at least five hours a day on these platforms.
Under the proposed legislation, social media companies must take reasonable steps to verify that users are at least 16 years old. These methods may include the use of digital identity documents, existing account information, and facial age estimation technology. Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10 percent of their global revenue. Education Minister Erica Stanford clarified that the legal burden falls on the platforms, and no penalties are proposed for children, parents, or caregivers.
The bill faces significant political hurdles. Coalition partners ACT and New Zealand First have voiced opposition to the project. Winston Peters, leader of New Zealand First and the country's foreign minister, described the initiative as a slippery slope and called a similar ban in Australia a colossal failure. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour also stated that the ban would not work. Additionally, the opposition Labour Party has requested answers to numerous questions before deciding on its support.
New Zealand follows a global trend of restricting youth access to social media. Australia implemented a similar ban in December, while the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Malaysia have followed suit. In France, a top court blocked a proposed ban for under 15s, citing infringements on freedom of expression. Some reports highlight that a peer reviewed study by Australian researchers found little evidence that their ban reduced teen social media use.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- This framing emphasized the Prime Minister's concerns regarding child harm while highlighting the specific objections of coalition partners.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the legislative details and the broader international context of social media restrictions.
- Centre-right
- This framing focused on the financial penalties for tech firms and the likelihood of the bill being blocked by coalition partners.
Sources
- Centre BBC News: New Zealand to introduce bill for under-16s social media ban
- Centre Deutsche Welle: New Zealand proposes social media ban for under-16s
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: New Zealand government presents project to ban social networks for under 16s
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: New Zealand plans social media ban for under-16s backed by big fines
- Centre-left The Guardian: New Zealand to consider banning children under 16 from social media
- Centre The Japan Times: New Zealand to introduce bill banning social media for children under 16
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.