National’s proposed social media ban for under-16s comes as one of the world’s biggest technology companies agrees to sweeping changes to how its platforms operate for young people.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay up to US$16.68 billion to settle claims brought by 29 US states over alleged harms to children and teenagers using its platforms.
The development adds to the debate in Aotearoa over whether keeping rangatahi off social media is the answer, or whether companies designing the platforms should take greater responsibility.
National’s new Online Safety Bill would restrict under-16s from using social media. While rangatahi and experts see some potential benefits, they’re questioning whether a ban is the right solution.
“Kei te whakahē, i te mea ae, kua mōhio tātou he ao mōrearea te ao hangarau, heoi anō, he wā ōna ka taea te whakapiki pūkenga, whakapiki mātauranga,” says 16-year-old Te Arikihana Henare, a student at Te Pūtahi Māori o Manurewa.
The Bill would require platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to take reasonable steps to ensure users are over 16. This could involve checking account details, facial age checks, digital ID or official identification.
Te-Akau Scott, another tauira, says she can see both sides.
“Mōhio ana kē au ngā whakaaro kei muri i tā rātou tono, engari ngā āhuatanga o te pakeke [i runga i te ipurangi].”
She says some content online is too mature for younger users.
“Mō ngā pēpi 14 [tau] ki raro, ka whakaae au [kia aukatingia].”
Ngā painga o ngā pae pāhopori ki te rangatahi
Youth health research shows one in three teenagers in Aotearoa aged 13–17 spends at least five hours a day on social media.
But for some rangatahi, social media is also a way to connect, learn and share their skills.
“E pai ana ahau ki Instagram i te mea ka taea te kōrero ki ōku hoa, ki tōku whānau hoki,” says 17-year-old tauira Raukura Makoare.
“Me whakapono au, ka whakamahi au i aua momo mahi hei whakatenatena wairua, kia whakapaoho hoki i aku pūkenga,” Henare adds.
“Tiktoki tētahi o ngā wāhi tino whakapiki wairua, whakapiki mātauranga mōku.”
Kei te kite tonu i ngā āputa
Associate Professor Cara Swit is a child development and wellbeing researcher at the University of Canterbury. She says there could be some benefits from reducing social media use.
“Social media bans might reduce the amount of time that they’re spending on devices.”
While she is happy the conversation around better online safety measures for tamariki has started, Swit is not convinced a ban will solve the wider issues linked to social media.
“I struggle to believe that this Bill is going to be the solution to some of the challenges that we currently see with some young people’s digital media use.”
She says the ban could also remove an important connection for rangatahi.
“By banning social media, we are taking a fundamental avenue that they rely on to connect with their peers.”
Swit says the Bill does not address some social media features that can cause harm.
“This current ban is around banning social media platforms and not actually the fundamental features of social media that have been linked to negative outcomes,” she explains.
“We know algorithms, we know constant notifications, we know the use of filters, and all of those digital features are most harm this Bill and the banning is not going to stop those things.”
Meta agrees to sweeping changes for young users
That question has come into sharper focus internationally.
Meta has agreed to pay up to US$16.68 billion to settle claims brought by 29 US states over alleged harms to children and teenagers using Facebook and Instagram.
The settlement was reached during a federal trial in California, ending one of the most significant legal tests yet of claims that social media companies have harmed young users.
The states accused Meta of designing its platforms to be addictive to children, misleading the public about their safety and unlawfully collecting personal data from children under 13.
Meta has not admitted wrongdoing, but has agreed to major changes for young users. These include a default two-hour daily limit for under-18s, restrictions on use between midnight and 6 am, stronger age verification, expanded parental controls, and changes to notifications and other engagement features.
About US$5.3 billion of the settlement is conditional on YouTube and TikTok adopting similar restrictions. If they do, Meta would reduce its daily limit for young users from two hours to one.
The agreement still requires court approval.
Kia tika, kia pono ngā kamupene matihiko
For Swit, greater scrutiny of the companies behind social media needs to be part of the solution.
“I think policy makers actually need to start thinking more deeply about what we can do to hold Big Tech accountable for the features and the digital practices that are actually contributing to the harm,” she says.
National’s proposed legislation would place greater responsibility on technology companies, requiring them to assess risks their platforms pose to children and explain how they are reducing them.
Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of up to 10 per cent of their global revenue. National says there would be no penalties for tamariki or their parents, with responsibility instead falling on social media companies.
He whai i ngā tapuwae o tāwahi
The proposal follows a similar move in Australia, where under-16 social media restrictions came into effect in December 2025.
Makoare says rangatahi are tech-savvy and may find ways around the restrictions.
“Kāore he take i te mea, tērā pea ka aukatingia mō ngā tamariki 16 heke iho, ka whai huarahi anō rātou ki te uru atu ki ēnā mahi.”
Ngā painga me ngā kore painga o ngā hangarau i te kura
Maahia Nathan, Tumuaki at Te Pūtahi Māori o Manurewa, has seen both the benefits and problems of technology in his school.
“Mōhio au he nui ngā raruraru ā-hinengaro nei, ā-whānau nei, mō te whakaweti, ēra momo āhuatanga, ka mauria mai e rātou ngā raruraru ki te kura,” he says.
The Government has already taken steps to limit young people’s phone use, with the Phones Away for the Day policy requiring students to keep their phones out of sight and reach during the school day.
Nathan says that experience shows the need to think carefully about how further restrictions are introduced.
“E whakaae kē ana au ki taua whakatau a te Kāwanatanga, engari me āta wetewete, me āta whakatau anō kia kite he aha te rautaki e whakamahia ana e rātou,” he adds.
“Kua oma kē te hoiho. Ināianei ko tā mātou mahi, me pēhea te pupuri i ngā reina o te hoiho kia kaua e horo rawa te haere.”
National introduced the Bill to Parliament this week, but it has not yet had its first reading. Labour says it will support the Bill at first reading, but the Government says there is not enough time for that vote before Parliament rises for the election.
