New Zealand proposes under-16 social media ban, coalition split

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has introduced the Online Safety Bill, which would ban children under 16 from using social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook. Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue. The bill will not progress before the November 7 election, Luxon said, because Parliament dissolves on October 1.

The bill faces uncertain passage. Luxon's coalition government is split: the National Party supports the ban, but both junior partners, New Zealand First and the ACT Party, have said they will vote against it. New Zealand First leader Winston Peters called Australia's similar ban a "colossal failure," while ACT leader David Seymour said the policy must work, not just sound tough. The opposition Labour Party has not decided how it will vote.

The proposed law would require platforms to verify user age through existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID or formal ID. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and multiplayer games such as Roblox are excluded. New Zealand joins more than two dozen countries that have enacted or are considering similar restrictions after Australia's world-first ban took effect in December 2025.