New Zealand is moving ahead with a social media ban for under-16s, with the Government introducing the Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill to Parliament. The proposed law would require high-risk social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from accessing their services and would place greater responsibility on technology companies to address risks to children online. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the Government was responding to concerns about the amount of time young people spend on social media and their exposure to harmful content, addictive technology and online pressures. “We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children,” says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. According to the Government, one in three children aged 13 to 17 spends at least five hours a day on social media.

New Zealand Social Media Ban Introduces Age Verification

Under the proposed social media ban, high-risk platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook would be required to take reasonable steps to establish whether users are over 16. The Bill allows for multiple age-checking methods, including existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services and formal identification. The proposed framework would also require platforms used by children to regularly assess the risks they pose and report on how those risks are being identified and reduced. The Government said the framework is designed to evolve alongside technology and would also cover emerging services, including AI companion platforms.

Companies Could Face Significant Penalties

The proposed online safety law would introduce significant penalties for platforms that fail to meet their obligations. Companies could face fines of up to 10 percent of their global revenue. An online safety regulator within the Department of Internal Affairs would independently monitor compliance, investigate platforms and enforce the law. Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Bill would place legal obligations on technology platforms rather than children, parents or caregivers. No penalties are proposed for children, their parents or caregivers under the proposed framework. “The Bill places legal obligations on platforms. No penalties are proposed for children, their parents or caregivers,” Ms Stanford says. “It doesn’t just introduce a minimum age requirement. It creates an enduring framework that can evolve alongside technology and holds platforms responsible for understanding and reducing the risks they create for children,” she says. The Government also plans to strengthen education and public awareness so parents, schools and communities have information and tools to help children navigate online services safely.

New Zealand Joins Growing Push for Child Online Safety

The proposed New Zealand social media ban follows similar moves in other countries seeking to place greater responsibility on technology companies. Earlier this year, Spain announced plans to prohibit social media access for children under 16. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the internet as a “digital Wild West” and said stronger protections were needed to shield young people from online harm. France has also moved toward age-based restrictions. In February, French lawmakers approved legislation banning children under 15 from accessing social media platforms, with the measure expected to take effect at the start of the next school year. French President Emmanuel Macron backed the proposal, arguing that children’s development should not be dictated by algorithms designed to maximize engagement.

Government Says Rules Aim to Change Online Behaviour

Luxon acknowledged that the Government does not expect every child to stop using social media but said early evidence from Australia showed minimum age requirements were already changing behaviour. The Government said the child online safety framework is intended to make a meaningful difference while creating longer-term obligations for technology companies. The Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill will now be introduced to Parliament, beginning the legislative process for the proposed under-16 social media restrictions.

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France’s Constitutional Council blocked an under-15 social media ban, raising questions over free expression, age verification and online privacy.

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France will ban social media for children under 15, requiring nationwide age checks and raising privacy and platform compliance concerns.

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The UK's communications regulator has launched a formal investigation into TikTok age verification, raising questions over whether the platform is adequately protecting children online under the country's Online Safety Act. The move comes as Britain prepares to introduce a social media ban for under-16s, with regulators warning that current age assurance methods used by some platforms may not be sufficient to prevent children from accessing harmful content.

The investigation follows the publication of a new Ofcom report that found age checks are becoming more common across online services, but significant gaps remain, particularly on social media platforms and some pornography websites.

Ofcom Questions TikTok Age Verification Method

According to Ofcom, some social media companies rely primarily on age inference methods to identify child users. These systems estimate a user's age based on their online behavior rather than verifying it directly.

The regulator said it has "serious doubts" about whether these methods are capable of meeting the standards required under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom believes some companies may be failing to correctly identify a significant number of children, potentially exposing them to harmful content, including pornography, self-harm, and suicide-related material.

As a result, Ofcom has launched a formal investigation into whether TikTok is complying with its legal duties to protect children from harmful content.

The regulator also warned that age inference alone will not be considered sufficient for enforcing the government's planned restrictions on social media use by children under 16. Platforms using such methods have been urged to adopt more effective age assurance technologies or provide compelling evidence demonstrating their effectiveness.

Age Checks Increase Across Online Services

The report found significant progress in the adoption of age checks since the Online Safety Act's child protection duties came into force in July 2025.

Between July 2025 and January 2026, the proportion of children encountering highly effective age checks increased from 25% to 43%.

Ofcom said more than 69 million age checks were completed across a sample of 32 UK services during the second half of 2025, representing a 23-fold increase compared to the previous six months.

The regulator also reported that all of the UK's top 10 pornography websites and most of the top 100 now have age verification measures in place.

Among children aged 8 to 14 who attempted to access pornography, only 8% visited such services. Half of those children reached only websites with age checks, while nearly 87% of their visits lasted less than 30 seconds, suggesting age verification discouraged continued access.

Search Engines Also Face Scrutiny

Despite the wider rollout of age assurance, Ofcom found that children can still easily discover pornography websites without age checks through Google Search and Bing.

Its analysis found that 33% of first-page Google search results and 54% of Bing results directed users to pornography websites lacking age verification or equivalent protections.

Following discussions with the regulator, Google and Bing have agreed to work with Ofcom on practical measures to reduce the visibility of such websites in search results.

Meanwhile, Ofcom continues enforcement against adult services that fail to comply with the law. The regulator has opened 23 investigations involving 88 adult service providers, with many either introducing age assurance or blocking UK users after enforcement action.

UK Moves Toward Social Media Ban for Under-16s

The investigation comes as the UK government advances plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s, modeled on Australia's approach.

Under the proposal, platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X would be prohibited from offering social media services to users under 16. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are not expected to be included.

The government also plans to introduce additional protections, including restrictions on livestreaming and communication with strangers for children under 16 across social media and certain gaming platforms. Similar safeguards would apply by default to users aged 16 and 17 to avoid what officials describe as a "cliff-edge" at age 16.

The proposed measures are expected to be presented to Parliament before the end of the year, with implementation targeted for Spring 2027.

Ofcom said it will submit a rapid assessment to Parliament by the end of October outlining what constitutes highly effective age assurance for verifying whether someone is over 16, helping shape future enforcement of the planned restrictions.

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The post Australia’s Teen Social Media Ban Exposes Age Verification Gap appeared first on TechRepublic.

How modern age-verification laws, like the California Digital Age Assurance Act, dismantle the principle of data minimization by mandating the collection of sensitive personal data, effectively turning "don't know" into "must know" and knowledge into liability.

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AI tools may better protect children online by detecting harmful content without the privacy risks of strict age verification laws.

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