New Zealand proposes banning children under 16 from social media, following Australia’s 2025 ban
Consensus Summary
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced plans to introduce a bill banning children under 16 from using social media, mirroring Australia’s December 2025 ban. The proposed law would require platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook to verify users’ ages through methods such as facial recognition and digital IDs, imposing fines of up to 10% of global revenue for non-compliance. Messaging apps, gaming platforms, and AI tools like ChatGPT are excluded. The bill faces opposition from coalition partners New Zealand First and ACT, and Labour has not yet decided its stance. Parliament will dissolve on October 1, 2026, before the November general election, delaying any vote. Critics argue the ban may not work effectively, as seen in Australia, where many teens still access social media, and that it raises privacy concerns without addressing broader platform safety issues.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon proposed a bill to ban children under 16 from using social media, including platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook.
- The proposed law would require social media platforms to verify users’ ages using methods like existing account information, facial technology, and digital identity documents.
- Non-compliant platforms could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue under the proposed bill.
- Australia became the first country to ban social media for children under 16 in December 2025, blocking platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
- New Zealand’s general election is scheduled for November 2026, and the proposed bill will not be voted on before parliament dissolves on October 1, 2026.
- New Zealand First, one of Luxon’s coalition partners, has stated it will not support the bill, calling it a 'slippery slope'.
- Messaging platforms like WhatsApp, online gaming platforms like Roblox, and AI apps (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot) are excluded from the proposed ban.
- Luxon cited 2025 research showing a third of New Zealand teenagers spent at least five hours a day on social media.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Professor Nicholas Carah from the University of Queensland stated that more than eight in 10 Australian teenagers are still using social media three months after Australia’s ban took effect.
- Hannah Storey of Amnesty International argued that age verification measures raise privacy concerns and do not address underlying platform design issues affecting adults.
- Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said his party has not yet decided whether to support the bill.
- Winston Peters, leader of New Zealand First and foreign minister, called Australia’s ban a 'colossal failure' and said keeping children off social media should be parents’ responsibility.
- Luxon acknowledged the ban would not be perfect, stating, 'We won’t get every single child off social media. Some will always find ways around it.'
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian states New Zealand First will not support the bill, while ABC notes both New Zealand First and ACT plan to vote against it, with no mention of NZ First’s specific stance in ABC.
Source Articles
New Zealand to consider banning children under 16 from social media
Prime minister Christopher Luxon’s party to introduce bill seeking the ban, citing harm to a generation of children New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon has said his party will introduce a bill in parliament that seeks to ban children under 16 from using social media, proposing fines of up to 10% of a platform’s global revenue for non-compliance. The bill would require social media platforms to take reasonable steps to verify users’ ages, including by utilising existing account infor
New Zealand prime minister proposes Australia-style social media ban
The proposal marks New Zealand as the latest country to mull such a law since Australia enacted its world-first under-16s social media ban in December 2025.
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