New Zealand moves to ban social media for under-16s with tough penalties

New Zealand's conservative coalition government is set to introduce a parliamentary bill aimed at restricting social media use among minors, marking one of the world's most stringent regulatory approaches to youth online access.

The proposed legislation seeks to establish a blanket ban on social media use for children under 16 years old. The measure includes substantial financial penalties for non-compliance, with fines reaching up to 10% of a platform's global revenue for companies that fail to enforce the restrictions.

The bill represents the government's attempt to address growing concerns about the impact of social media on young people's mental health, wellbeing, and development. The initiative comes amid broader international debate about regulating tech platforms' responsibility in protecting minors from online harms.

The legislation is expected to face scrutiny regarding implementation challenges, including how platforms will verify user ages and the technical measures required to enforce the age restrictions. Similar proposals in other jurisdictions have raised questions about balancing child protection with privacy concerns and digital access rights.