New Zealand Proposes Age Limits for Social Media Platforms

New Zealand is proposing new restrictions that would require major social media platforms to take steps to prevent users under 16 from accessing their services.

The proposed Online Safety Bill would apply to platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook, requiring them to take “reasonable steps” to establish that users are at least 16 years old, according to Bloomberg. However, the legislation is unlikely to advance until after New Zealand’s general election in November.

The proposal puts New Zealand among a growing number of jurisdictions examining age restrictions for social media as concerns increase around young people’s exposure to harmful content, excessive use and online safety risks.

Australia provides the closest regional example. Its social media restrictions for under-16s have been in effect for several months, but early evidence suggests enforcement remains difficult. An update from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner found that many underage teenagers continued to access social platforms, while there had been no clear change in problematic internet use or overall wellbeing.

The restrictions have also prompted some users to shift activity elsewhere. According to the update, teenagers who reduced their social media use increased their engagement with messaging services and online games. Platforms have nevertheless taken action to remove accounts identified as belonging to underage users. Meta, for example, has said it removed 750,000 accounts held by under-16s in Australia since the restrictions began.

The Australian experience points towards one of the central challenges facing New Zealand’s proposal: verifying a user’s age reliably at scale without creating significant privacy concerns. Simple age declarations can be circumvented by entering an older date of birth, while more robust verification methods can involve collecting additional personal or biometric information. Platforms and regulators therefore face a balancing act between enforcement, privacy and ease of access.