Originally published: B&T, 25 August 2026
New Zealand is set to follow Australia in banning social media for children under 16 years old with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon set to introduce the bill if he gets re-elected in November.
Luxon’s proposed law would see platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to be fined up to 10 per cent of their global revenue for failing to meet their obligations of taking “reasonable steps” to check users are not aged 16 and under.
However, while the proposal has broad support from social media and digital agencies on both sides of the Ditch, there are concerns that the teens will find workarounds and potentially move to platforms with fewer protections.
Lisa East, MD of digital marketing agency Matter, told B&T that as the owner of an agency and the mother of a teenager she supports “the intention behind the legislation”.
In June this year, research from Pureprofile found most teenagers aged 16 and under are still accessing social media platforms covered by the country’s ban, despite public support for the policy sitting at 76 per cent.
