New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has unveiled a proposed law banning children younger than 16 from using social media platforms, citing what he said Monday (August 24, 2026) was “harm being done to a generation” of young people.
asserted
Monday → unveil → people
However, the bill hasn't yet attracted enough support to pass into law because two of the three parties in Mr. Luxon's coalition government will vote against it.
asserted
two → attract → it
Passage would require support from Opposition lawmakers, who have yet to decide how they would vote.
asserted
they → require → lawmakers
“There also wasn't enough time for lawmakers to hold a vote on the proposal before Parliament dissolved on Oct. 1 ahead of November's election,” Mr. Luxon said.
asserted
Luxon → hold → election
Bills are required to pass three rounds of voting, usually over a period of months, before they become law.
asserted
they → require → months
If reelected, Mr. Luxon is seeking to make his government the latest worldwide to enact age restrictions for social media platforms after dozens of countries have either introduced or are mulling such measures.
asserted
dozens → reelect → measures
He said 2025 research showed a third of New Zealand teenagers spent at least five hours a day on social media.
asserted
third → say → media
“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,” Mr. Luxon said.
asserted
Luxon → expose → life
The proposal would require social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook, to “take reasonable steps” to check users were older than 16, according to material supplied by Mr. Luxon's party Monday (August 24).
uncertain
users → require → party
This could include “existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services and formal ID”, the material said.
uncertain
material → include → information
Excluded from the proposed law are messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, online gaming platforms like Roblox and AI apps with productivity uses, including ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot.
No penalties are proposed for parents or children, but tech firms could be fined up to 10% of their global revenue for failing to meet their obligations.
uncertain
firms → exclude → obligations
Platforms regularly used by children would be required to assess and report on the risks their networks posed, Luxon said.
asserted
Luxon → use → risks
Mr. Luxon's government has mulled such a law since Australia's world-first social media ban for under 16-year-olds took effect in December 2025.
asserted
ban → mull → December
However, it's been vehemently opposed by the other two parties that make up the government along with Luxon's center-right group National — libertarian ACT and populist NZ First.
asserted
that → oppose → group
Both minor parties repeated on Monday (August 24) their plans to vote against the law.
asserted
parties → repeat → law
Lawmakers from the largest Opposition party, center-left Labour, haven't decided if they'd vote for it, leader Chris Hipkins said.
asserted
Hipkins → decide → it
Since Australia's law came into force, countries including Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have enacted bans too, while many other countries are studying or developing laws.
asserted
countries → come → laws
Child safety advocates and some parents have welcomed age restrictions, while privacy groups say the rules can be cheated and that forcing users to supply identification raises privacy concerns.
asserted
forcing → welcome → concerns
In January, a month after Australia's ban was enacted, social media platforms told an Australian regulator they had revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children.
asserted
they → enact → children
Mr. Luxon's government enacted a ban in 2024 on the use of cellphones during the school day for students of all ages.
asserted
government → enact → ages
The Aporia
