New Zealand moves to bar under-16s from social media
What’s new: The bill could fine platforms up to 10% of global revenue and set up a new online safety regulator.
New Zealand’s government will introduce a bill to keep children under 16 off major social media platforms, following Australia with one of the toughest proposed age-gating regimes in the world. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the measure would require high-risk platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube and X to take reasonable steps to verify users’ ages. Proposed methods include account data, facial age estimation, digital ID services and formal identification. The bill would also require regular child-safety risk assessments and bring AI companion services under the rules, while exempting messaging apps, online games and work or study tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini. A new regulator inside the Department of Internal Affairs would monitor compliance.