Christopher Luxon, the prime minister of New Zealand, has said that his party will present a bill in parliament that aims to prohibit children under the age of sixteen from using social media. The law proposes sanctions of up to 10% of a platform’s worldwide income for non-compliance.
The bill would mandate that social media companies take reasonable measures to confirm users’ ages, such as using digital identity documents, facial recognition technology, and account information already in place.
Luxon stated in a statement on Monday that “we simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children.”
“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.” The New Zealand First party, one of Luxon’s coalition partners, stated that it would not support the measure, making it unclear at first whether it would have enough support to pass parliament. Winston Peters, the leader of New Zealand First and the nation’s foreign minister, stated on X, “We have been concerned with the proposed legislation and the direction and slippery slope that legislation like this will inevitably take our country.”
Australia became the first nation in the world to outlaw social media for kids under 16 in December, preventing them from using sites like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube from Alphabet, and Instagram from Meta.
The law had been a “colossal failure.” Peters added that parents should be in charge of preventing their kids from using social media.
At an occasion, Luxon declared, “I won’t pretend that it will be simple or that it will be perfect.”
“Not every child will stop using social media. To be honest, it’s just too crucial not to at least try, but some people will always find a way around it.
Also Read – US Envoy Reveals India’s Unusual Request For PM Modi-Trump Press Meet