The National Party has introduced a new members’ bill to ban social media for those aged under 16.
Christopher Luxon announced the bill alongside National Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd this morning.
Wedd said the My Social Media Age-Appropriate Users Bill “puts the onus on social media companies to verify that someone is over the age of 16 before they access social media platforms”.
Key aspects of the Bill would include obligations for the social media platforms, defence for providers to rely on reasonable verification measures, penalties for non-compliance, regulatory oversight and a review after three years.
Currently, there are no legally enforceable age verification measures for social media platforms in New Zealand, Wedd said.
Members’ bills are introduced by MPs who are not Ministers, and need to be drawn from a ballot to be debated in Parliament.
Luxon said he was hopeful of gaining bipartisan support.
“It’s not a political issue, it’s a New Zealand issue.”
He had spoken with coalition partners ACT and NZ First about it, but would let them speak about their position.
He said this was an issue he had been passionate about since 2018, and as a dad he felt the party needed to do more to keep young people safe from online harm.
“It’s time that New Zealand acknowledged that for all the good things that come from social media, it’s not always a safe place for our young people to be and we need to do something about it.”
He said teachers and parents had raised issues with him including cyber bullying, exposure to inappropriate content and exploitation and social media addiction.
“Social media should not be exempt from social responsibility, and it is time we put the onus on these platforms,” he said.
Wedd said social media was “an extraordinary resource”, but came with risks for young people.
“As a mother of four children I feel very strongly that families and parents should be better supported when it comes to overseeing their children’s online exposure.
The bill closely mirrors the approach taken in Australia, which passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill in December 2024.
There are questions over the ban’s effectiveness, Australia Correspondent Aziz Al Sa’afin reports. (Source: 1News)
At the end of last year, a 1News Verian Poll found more than two-thirds of New Zealand voters supported restricting social media access for under-16s.
The poll results showed that 68% backed introducing similar legislation in New Zealand as in Australia, while 22% were opposed, and 10% were undecided or preferred not to say.
National Party supporters and women showed the strongest support for the proposed restrictions, while opposition was highest among 18-34-year-olds and men.
Wedd said “other jurisdictions are also taking action”.
“Texas recently passed legislation which bans under 18s from social media use and the UK, the EU and Canada all have similar work in train,” she said.
“This bill builds on National’s successful and successful cell phone ban in schools and reinforces the Government’s commitment to setting our children up for success.”
