A new ban would require platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to confirm that users are over 16 years old, per Bloomberg.
New Zealand is the latest nation to introduce a ban on social media usage among young teens, according to Bloomberg. The government’s new Online Safety Bill would require “high-risk social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to take reasonable steps to check users are over the age of 16.”
However, the bill “is unlikely to progress” until after the nation’s upcoming election in November, per Bloomberg.
The nation joins a growing list of regions seeking to implement teen social media restrictions, following Australia’s lead. The various limitations are designed to protect teens from potentially harmful exposure and reduce the impacts of overuse.
Around the world, multiple jurisdictions are considering or have implemented teen social media bans, with varying levels of impact.
Indeed, Australia’s own teen social media ban, considered to be the biggest test of social media age restrictions, is seemingly failing on most fronts.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner released a six-month update on the nation’s teen social media ban earlier this month, which showed that:
These results come despite several platforms reportedly removing hundreds of thousands of teen accounts. Meta recently said it removed 750,000 accounts held by underage users in Australia since the restrictions began.
Evidently, teens are still using social apps despite the government’s rules. That said, Australia’s bans have had some impact on logged-in use, which could have some positive impacts.
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