New Zealand’s Education and Workforce Committee has recommended the government move forward with restricting social media access for users under 16, adding legislative momentum to a debate that has already produced law in Australia and policy commitments in the UK and Spain.
The committee’s report, presented this month following a nine-month inquiry that drew 400 submissions and 87 oral witnesses, identifies online harm to young people as “severe” and calls for urgent responses from government, business, and society. The government must formally respond to the recommendations by June 3, 2026.
The age-restriction recommendation is one of twelve in the report. The committee acknowledged persistent design challenges: age verification creates privacy risks, VPN usage can circumvent platform restrictions, “social media” is difficult to define in law, and blanket bans risk cutting off beneficial spaces for young people. Despite those concerns, the committee found majority support for proceeding, noting that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has indicated he intends legislation before the end of 2026, and that a member’s bill introduced by Catherine Wedd MP in October 2025 is already before Parliament.
Two parties dissented. The Green Party argued that restrictions would push youth toward less regulated platforms and create disproportionate harm for marginalised communities including LGBTQ+ and disabled youth. ACT New Zealand opposed the recommendation on civil liberties grounds, citing concerns that age verification at scale would amount to mandatory digital identification for all New Zealanders.
The committee’s single most structurally significant recommendation is the establishment of an independent national online safety regulator, which it describes as its top priority. The body would hold a broad mandate to respond to emerging harms, develop secondary legislation, and serve as a single public point of contact. The committee estimated it could be operational within an existing agency in the near term, with full independence achievable within two to three years.
Other recommendations include an immediate ban on “nudify” applications that automate the creation of deepfake sexual imagery, expanded civil and regulatory liability for platform-design harms, restrictions on algorithmic recommendation systems for young users, and regulation of online advertising for alcohol, tobacco, and gambling products targeting under-18s.
New Zealand’s committee framed the country’s approach as that of a “fast follower,” deliberately aligning with the EU, UK, and Australia rather than attempting to lead. Australia’s under-16 social media ban entered into force in December 2025, and the UK and Spain announced comparable intentions in early 2026.
Sources: New Zealand Parliament Select Committees
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By Ji-seo Kim
