New Zealand's prime minister, Christopher Luxon, announced on Monday that his conservative coalition government will introduce a bill in parliament seeking to ban children under 16 from using social media, with financial penalties of up to 10% of a platform's global annual revenue for non-compliance. The proposal would require platforms such as TikTok, Meta's Instagram and Facebook, and Alphabet's YouTube to take reasonable steps to verify users' ages, using tools such as existing account information, facial recognition technology, and digital identity documents.

"We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children," Luxon said. "Social media is exposing them to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with, and it's affecting their family life, mental health, sleep, and education." The prime minister acknowledged that the legislation would not be a perfect solution, noting that some young people would likely find ways around any restrictions, but argued the stakes were too high not to act.

The bill faces an uncertain path through parliament. New Zealand First, one of the parties in Luxon's coalition government, has said it will not support the legislation. The party's leader, Winston Peters — who also serves as the country's foreign minister — warned of a "slippery slope" and called parental responsibility, rather than legislation, the appropriate tool for keeping children off social media. Peters also pointed to neighbouring Australia as a cautionary tale, describing that country's similar law as a "colossal failure."

Australia, in December 2024, became the world's first country to legislate a social media ban for under-16s, a move widely watched by governments around the world grappling with growing evidence of the harms that heavy social media use can pose to children and adolescents. New Zealand's proposal follows in the same direction, though its ultimate passage remains in question.

The debate reflects a broader global reckoning with how societies should regulate technology platforms in relation to minors. Supporters of such bans argue that governments have a duty to protect children from algorithmically driven content and addictive design features; critics contend that enforcement is technically difficult and that restricting access risks infringing on civil liberties and shifting responsibility away from parents. How New Zealand's parliament votes will likely be closely watched by other countries still weighing their own approaches.