New Zealand to introduce Bill banning social media for children under 16

SYDNEY: New Zealand's conservative coalition government will introduce a Bill in Parliament on Monday (Aug 24) that seeks to ban children under 16 from using social media, and proposes fines of up to 10 per cent 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 using existing account information, facial technology and digital identity documents.

"We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement.

"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," Luxon said.