Restrict social media for under-16s

NationalIn progress

● Education8 tracked updates

✦ AI Overview

Pitched as protecting children online by keeping under-16s off social media — extending the school phone ban into a wider push against youth online harm.

The Policy: National Social Media Age Restriction — September 2023 →

What it does:

The proposal: National MP Catherine Wedd has a member's bill, the Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill (announced 6 May 2025), to bar under-16s from social media and put the onus on platforms to verify age. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon added exploring under-16 restrictions to the Government work programme, led by Education Minister Erica Stanford (RNZ).
The push behind it: the advocacy group B416 — led by businesswomen Anna Mowbray and Cecilia Robinson, with chief executive Nicole Green — has campaigned hard for a ban, modelled on Australia, which legislated a world-first under-16 ban in late 2024 (NZ Herald, The Spinoff).
The evidence cited: campaigners point to Meta whistleblowers — Frances Haugen, Arturo Bejar and sextortion researcher Paul Raffile — and films like The Social Dilemma, arguing platforms knowingly expose children to harm (CNN, RNZ).

The result (in progress):

This is a live, unresolved debate — not yet law. A member's bill exists and the Government is investigating, but no ban has passed, and the design questions are hard: age verification, privacy, and whether a ban or safer platform design is the right fix. Meta and TikTok have urged MPs to avoid a "blunt" ban (The Spinoff). Verdict: strong momentum and high-profile backing, but still at the proposal/investigation stage — one to watch closely before the 2026 election.

This overview is summarised by AI from public sources. It may contain errors and is a guide, not the definitive record — we welcome corrections.

❓ Our Questions — you decide

Where our research raises a question the policy doesn't answer, we put it to you — these are our questions, not government policy. Your vote stays anonymous even when you sign up (we use sign-up only to send you more things to vote on that you care about), and we report aggregated results only — the country's sentiment, never how any individual voted.

Should social media platforms be legally required to verify users' ages so under-16s can't sign up?

Even if a ban is hard to enforce perfectly, is it still worth trying to keep under-16s off social media?

Should an under-16 social media ban be backed by age-verification that actually works?

Should platforms be required to fix harmful design (algorithms, addictive features), not just an age ban?

Should digital-literacy education be funded alongside any restriction?

Key milestones

28 July 2026news

Bill would set up a social media regulator; coalition support uncertain

Education Minister Erica Stanford set out more detail of the Government's plan to keep under-16s off social media, saying the bill would lift the minimum age for an account from 13 to 16 and set up a new social media "regulator", a recommendation from Parliament's select committee inquiry. Stanford said she could not be sure it would pass. Coalition partner ACT is firmly opposed and NZ First has backed the intent but resisted progressing it, so National may need Labour's votes; Stanford said she had not yet given Labour a copy of the bill but planned to brief the party. Supporters point to youth mental-health harms linked to social media, while critics warn a ban is hard to enforce and could push young people onto less safe parts of the internet.

Social media ban: National unsure if Act, NZ First will support bill (NZ Herald) ↗

May 2025official

Member bill to ban under-16s from social media

National MP Catherine Wedd introduced the Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill to bar under-16s from social platforms, with age checks on providers.

NZ legislation / Wikipedia ↗

May 2025official

Government to investigate under-16 restrictions

PM Luxon added exploring an under-16 ban to the work agenda, led by Education Minister Erica Stanford.

RNZ ↗

2025news

B416: a high-profile campaign for a ban

Businesswomen Anna Mowbray and Cecilia Robinson, with CEO Nicole Green, led a prominent campaign for an under-16 ban.

RNZ The Detail ↗

Nov 2024news

Australia legislates a world-first under-16 ban

Australia passed an under-16 social media ban, the model NZ campaigners cite.

The Spinoff ↗

Oct 2025news

Meta and TikTok push back on a blunt ban

The platforms urged MPs to favour safety-by-design over an outright age ban.

The Spinoff ↗

2023news

Meta whistleblowers detail harm to teens

Former insiders alleged Meta knew Instagram harmed some young users, with bullying and sextortion risks highlighted.

CNN ↗

2024–25

Public reaction across platforms

Aggregated public reaction — many parents backed a ban while others (and the platforms) questioned enforceability and called for safer design instead.

See the conversation:

Aggregated — individual posts are not cited.

Sources

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