New Zealand Prime Minister Proposes Ban on Social Media for Under-16s

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that his National Party (NNP) will introduce a bill in parliament to ban children under 16 from using social media.

According to Reuters on the 24th (local time), the bill includes provisions to impose fines of up to 10 percent of global revenue on platforms that fail to comply.

The bill stipulates that social media platforms must take reasonable steps to verify users' ages utilizing existing account information, facial recognition technology, and digital IDs.

Prime Minister Luxon stated in a statement, "Social media is exposing children to harmful content, addictive technology, and pressures they cannot handle. It is affecting children's family lives, mental health, sleep, and education."

However, it remains unclear whether the bill will secure sufficient support to pass through parliament.

This is because New Zealand First, one of the partners in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Luxon, has stated it will not support the bill.

Last December, Australia became the world's first country to ban children under 16 from using social media.

As a result, access for underage users has been blocked on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

Subsequently, dozens of countries, including the UK, China, Denmark, and the European Union (EU), have shown momentum toward banning social media for minors.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.