New Zealand Proposes Under-16 Social Media Ban With Fines Up to 10% of Global Revenue

New Zealand government has introduced legislation that would require major social-media platforms to prevent children under 16 from using their services or potentially face penalties worth as much as 10% of global revenue.\n\nThe Online Safety Bill would apply to high-risk platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook.\n\nCompanies would be required to take reasonable steps to determine whether users are old enough to access their platforms.\n\nPermitted methods could include existing account information, facial-age estimation, digital identity services and formal identification.\n\nThe proposed framework would also require services used by children to assess and report the risks they create. New Zealand says emerging technologies, including AI companion platforms, would fall within the broader regulatory system.\n\nThe proposal is not guaranteed to become law. Coalition opposition creates uncertainty over whether it can obtain sufficient parliamentary support.\n\nThe legislation nevertheless illustrates how quickly age assurance is becoming a major technology-policy issue.\n\nSocial platforms increasingly face pressure not merely to state that young children are prohibited, but to deploy technical systems capable of determining users ages and demonstrating compliance to regulators.