NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES BILL TO BAN CHILDREN UNDER 16 FROM HIGH-RISK SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — August 24, 2026 — The New Zealand government is moving to prohibit children under 16 from using high-risk social media platforms under legislation that would place age-verification and child-safety obligations directly on technology companies and expose noncompliant platforms to penalties reaching 10% of global revenue.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford announced on August 24 that the government would introduce the Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill to Parliament that day. The legislation is designed to establish a national minimum age for specified social media services while creating a broader regulatory framework for platforms used by children.

Under the proposal, high-risk social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook would be required to take reasonable steps to determine that users are at least 16 years old.

The government says platforms could rely on several verification methods rather than a single mandatory system. Those methods include existing account information, facial age-estimation technology, digital identity services, and formal identification documents.

The bill would place the compliance burden on technology companies rather than children or their families. Stanford said the proposal does not establish penalties for children, parents, or caregivers who fail to comply with the minimum-age requirement.

Platforms used by children would also be required to conduct recurring assessments of the risks their services create and report how those risks are being identified and reduced.

That means the legislation extends beyond simply checking a user’s age. Covered companies would face an ongoing legal obligation to evaluate the risks associated with their products, including the design and operation of services that may expose children to harmful content or other online dangers.

The government also intends to bring emerging technologies, including AI companion platforms, within the regulatory system. That provision broadens the proposal beyond conventional social networks and attempts to account for digital services that may develop or expand after the legislation takes effect.

Enforcement would be assigned to a new online safety regulator within New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs.

The regulator would independently monitor whether covered platforms are complying with the law, investigate companies where necessary, and carry out enforcement actions against platforms that fail to meet their obligations. Companies could face penalties of up to 10% of their global revenue, making the proposed sanctions potentially substantial for the world’s largest technology companies.

Luxon said the government is responding to concerns about the amount of time young people spend on social media and the effects of harmful content, addictive technology, and online pressures on children.

According to figures cited by the New Zealand government, one in three children between the ages of 13 and 17 spends at least five hours a day on social media. Luxon said those environments are affecting family life, mental health, sleep, and education and argued that social media companies have responsibilities alongside parents to protect younger users.

The August proposal follows work that began more than a year earlier. In May 2025, Luxon directed Stanford to lead government work examining restrictions on social media access for children under 16 and to consider approaches being developed in Australia, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, and parts of the United States.

New Zealand Parliament also already has a separate Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill, a member’s bill introduced by National MP Catherine Wedd in October 2025. That proposal was designed to regulate social media access for users under 16, but Parliament’s current record shows the bill has been introduced but has not yet progressed through its first reading.

Based on the framework announced by the government, the August 24 proposal is broader in scope than Wedd’s existing member’s bill. In addition to establishing an age threshold, it would create child-safety risk assessments, regulatory oversight, enforcement powers, substantial financial penalties, and provisions covering emerging technologies.

Stanford said the structure is intended to remain adaptable as technology changes rather than operate solely as a static age restriction. The government also plans to strengthen education and public-awareness programs so parents, schools, and communities have additional information about protecting children online.

The government acknowledges that the legislation would not completely prevent every person under 16 from accessing social media. Luxon said the goal is to change behavior and establish a new social norm rather than claim that age restrictions can achieve perfect enforcement.

The proposal is not yet law.

The Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill must proceed through New Zealand’s parliamentary process before its requirements can become legally enforceable. Parliament can debate, amend, refer, approve, or reject legislation during that process.

If ultimately enacted in its announced form, the measure would place some of New Zealand’s strongest child-safety obligations directly on major technology platforms, requiring them not only to determine whether younger users meet the minimum age but also to continually evaluate the risks their services pose to children.

The legislation would also extend that regulatory principle into newer categories of technology, including AI companion services, signaling that New Zealand’s proposed framework is aimed at regulating the broader digital environments children use rather than social networking alone.

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