Arabic version: نيوزيلندا تقترح حظر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي على من هم دون 16 عاماً

According to BBC News, New Zealand is introducing a bill that seeks to ban children under 16 from using social media. The proposed rules would apply to platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, requiring them to take reasonable steps to check that users are over 16.

Under the Online Safety Bill, which is being introduced to parliament on Monday, companies could use existing account information, facial age estimation and digital identity checks to verify age. Platforms regularly used by children would also have to assess the risks they pose and report on how those risks are identified and reduced. The government has not outlined which other “high risk” platforms could be affected.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said social media was exposing children to “harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with”. He said it was affecting children’s family life, mental health, sleep and education, adding: “We have protections to keep children safe in the real world and we need them in the virtual world too.”

There would be no proposed penalties for children, parents or caregivers who breach the ban. Social media companies that fail to meet their obligations, however, could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue. That could be substantially higher than Australia’s maximum penalty of $99m (£51.7m) under its comparable restrictions.

It is unclear whether the bill will secure enough votes. Act and New Zealand First, both coalition partners in government, have said they will oppose it. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, who leads Act, said the ban would not work, while New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said he was concerned about the proposed legislation and called Australia’s ban, introduced in December, a “colossal failure”.