Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

The New Zealand government has introduced a landmark bill to Parliament that would prohibit children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms, marking a bold move in the global debate over youth and digital safety, Azernews reports.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the initiative in a post on his official social media account.

"We want to protect our children from the harmful effects of social media. To that end, we have submitted a bill to Parliament that would ban social media use for individuals under the age of 16," Luxon stated.

According to the Prime Minister, the bill is intended to shield children and teenagers from exposure to online violence, harmful content, taboo topics, and drug-related material. The proposed legislation reflects growing concerns over the impact of digital platforms on young people’s mental health, attention span, and social development.

Under the bill, the responsibility for verifying users’ ages would fall on the social media companies themselves. Platforms that fail to implement effective age-verification mechanisms could face significant fines and potential legal action. This sets a precedent in placing the onus on tech giants rather than users or parents.

The move aligns New Zealand with a global trend of increasing scrutiny over tech companies and their role in protecting younger users. Similar debates are unfolding in the European Union and parts of the United States, where lawmakers are also grappling with how best to regulate children's access to digital content.

Critics argue that the bill could be difficult to enforce and might raise questions about privacy and digital rights, but supporters praise it as a necessary step to protect vulnerable age groups in an increasingly online world.

If passed, New Zealand would become one of the first countries in the world to impose a nationwide age restriction on social media access, potentially influencing similar measures in other jurisdictions.