BAN ON U-16 SOCIAL MEDIA IS ABOUT CONTROL

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Do Kiwis have nasty suspicious minds? Our track record with Ardern and Covid-19 jabbing would suggest not. In fact it would imply we were born yesterday. So why are we all looking sideways at New Zealand's Prime Minister Luxon and his pet Karen's private member's bill banning under-16s from social media?

Any under-6 would likely see through this leftist ploy for a Russian-style ukase intended to stifle free speech - especially right-wing notions which kids might pick up on the net -  and increase surveillance of the citizenry. Will we over-16s have to prove our age in order to use our PCs to comment on Facebook? The collateral damage is likely to include forced digital IDs and a social credit system, just around the corner.

The idea essentially is to wrest our children even further away from their parents, whose God-given responsibility they are, and into the hands of the State. A State which adheres to Hipkins' Special Envoy Ardern the Kind's Christchurch Call instead of its core business - of, say, reducing unemployment. Can we expect the Catholic Church to defend the right of God to His children? Or are the Bishops exercised more about "giving voice to Francis' desire to foster a greater sense of global sisterhood and brotherhood" - i.e. Davos and Freemasonry?    

 

 

A newly established charity dedicated to improving online safety for children is welcoming the Government’s announcement this morning that a private member’s bill has been introduced to set a minimum age of 16 to access social media.

 

B4-16 (Before 16) is a non-partisan, independent group of parents, public health experts and business leaders who have been advocating for greater online protection for children, saying New Zealand is falling behind comparable countries in protecting children from online harm.

Falling behind countries like Britain and Australia in government overreach. 

 

Today’s announcement follows Australia’s groundbreaking move in November last year to introduce the world’s first age restriction for under-16s on social media, requiring platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent underage use.

 

B4-16 is urging New Zealand policymakers to follow suit with a recent Horizon poll revealing 74% of adults support setting an age limit for social media access for children.

 

“Children need to be tech-savvy to thrive in today’s digital world – digital literacy is 100% essential. But social media is a different beast. It’s designed to be addictive, persuasive, and often exposes young minds to harmful content and pressures they’re not developmentally ready to handle.

But children can be exposed to harmful content and pressures at school. That's okay???  

“Delaying access for children doesn’t mean denying technology. It just means we’re giving Kiwi kids time to build resilience, critical thinking, and emotional maturity before we open the gates to an environment that is built for adult engagement,” says B4-16 co-Chair Cecilia Robinson.

 

The Coalition needs to address unemployment: jobless dads are far more important than kids' PCs  

 

While Australia, the UK, the EU and the US have introduced legislation to regulate social media and shield young people from online harm, New Zealand has not followed suit.

Unlike Australia – which has an independent eSafety Commissioner with powers to investigate harm, enforce standards, and hold platforms accountable – New Zealand has no dedicated regulator.

“At the moment, we put Big Tech first. We need a system that puts our children first,” says Dr Samantha Marsh, a public health researcher with the University of Auckland, and B4-16 advisor.

 

 

“It’s time for a truly independent regulatory body with the power to protect our children. Social media is harmful in a variety of ways, but particularly for young children. Education alone doesn’t change behaviour – regulation is needed,” says Marsh.

 A growing body of international evidence shows that social media is a high-risk environment for children’s mental health, emotional wellbeing, and cognitive development.

“At Outward Bound, I’ve seen first-hand the positive impact on teens’ mental resilience when they step away from social media for days and weeks at a time. If we can protect growing brains and bodies for longer from addictive and harmful algorithms, we will be a better society for it. There is so much at stake,” said 

B4-16’s Malindi Maclean who is also tumuaki CEO of Outward Bound New Zealand.

The Ministry of Health’s latest New Zealand Health Survey revealed the number of 15–24 year olds in high or very high psychological distress increased by 400% for the eleven year period to 2023.

Studies consistently link social media use with anxiety, depression, disordered eating, sleep disruption, and poor academic outcomes.

In 2023, Youthline’s State of the Generation Report found that 75% of young people believed mental health was the biggest issue they face, and half of all young people in Aotearoa said social media was a major issue for them.

B416 says it’s a complex issue which is too big for parents to manage on their own.

“We’ve got strong research showing social media is harmful, that it’s structurally changing our children’s brains – and it’s doing it at scale,” said Marsh.

“It’s a public health issue that requires regulation. New Zealand has laws to protect our children from smoking and alcohol and we need to do the same for social media.”

A 2024 Horizon Research poll found that 74% of New Zealanders support a legal age restriction for social media, with 83% concerned about harmful and inappropriate content online.

In its report, Meeting the Mental Health needs of young New Zealanders, the Office for the Auditor-General also raised concerns about rising levels of mental distress among young people aged 12-24. It estimated that mental illness costs New Zealand about 5% of gross domestic product annually – more than $20b.

B4-16 says the campaign presents a clear opportunity for cross-party action and is seeking government-wide support for regulation.

B4-16 is calling for:

legislation to set a minimum age of 16 to access social media platforms

the implementation of stronger ‘age assurance’ systems for age verification

a dedicated online safety regulator who is responsible for protecting children and young people from online harm, and has enforceable powers. https://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2025/05/new-charity-welcomes-private-bill-to-set-minimum-age-of-16-to-access-social-media/

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz

 

Lax Luxon and Karen Catherine Wedd

 

National MP Catherine Wedd is introducing a new member’s bill aiming to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms in New Zealand.

 

Wedd, MP for Tukituki in Hawke’s Bay, said the My Social Media Age-Appropriate Users Bill is about protecting the “most vulnerable young teenagers and children from the online harms of social media”.

 

Wedd said social media was an “extraordinary resource” but it came with risks.

 

“Right now, we aren’t managing the risks for our young people well.”

 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the move was intended to protect young people from bullying, inappropriate content and social media addiction.

 

“As a dad, I feel very strongly that we need to do a lot more to keep our kids safe from harm,” he said.

But not, note, from harm before birth. End abortion!!!

 

 “We have restrictions to keep our children safe in the physical world (but not in their first home, their mother's womb - ed), but we don’t have the equivalent restrictions in the virtual world, and we should.”

 

Luxon said the initiative builds on National’s cellphone ban in schools, which he said had improved engagement and learning.

Now that was common sense. Cellphones should always have been banned in schools.

 

The bill would put the onus on social media companies to verify that someone is over the age of 16 before they access social media platforms.

 

Currently, there are no legally enforceable age verification measures for social media platforms in New Zealand.

 

Wedd said she hopes the proposal, placed into the ballot today, will be adopted as a Government bill “as soon as possible”.

 

Government bills are typically prioritised and have greater resources thrown behind them, while member’s bills are selected for debate through a ballot system known as the biscuit tin.

 

“I’d love to see my bill becoming a Government bill, and us pushing this through into law and taking the action that it deserves,” Wedd said.

 

“As a mother of four children, I feel very strongly that families and parents should be better supported when it comes to overseeing their children’s online exposure.

 

“Parents and principals are constantly telling me they struggle to manage access to social media and are worried about the effect it’s having on their children.”

 

Wedd said the bill closely mirrors the approach taken in Australia, which passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill in December 2024.

“Other jurisdictions are also taking action. Texas recently passed legislation which bans under-18s from social media use and the UK, the EU and Canada all have similar work in train,” Wedd said.

Australia, the UK, the EU and Canada!!! What role models. God help us.

 

Luxon said it was, for now, a National bill.

 

“What I’m making sure is that when we actually open this with other parties, we’ve got a really good starting point.”

 

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he was “broadly supportive” of Wedd’s aims.

“I think we’ve always got to stand up for what’s best for New Zealand young people,” he said.

 

“My concern about a member’s bill is that it won’t be properly supported, realistically.

 

“If we’re going to do this well, it’s going to need the weight of government behind it.”

 

Australia’s law, which will come into effect by the end of 2025, mandates age verification for platforms enabling online social interaction, including TikTok, X, Facebook and Instagram, while exempting education-focused platforms like Google Classroom or health apps like Headspace.

 

Companies failing to comply could be fined up to A$49.5 million ($53.6m).

 

The legislation is being overseen by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, who is testing more than 30 different age-verification technologies with tech firms.

 

Initial reactions to the law have been mixed. While some parents and advocacy groups welcomed the stronger protections, academics have warned it may drive teenagers to less regulated spaces or increase their sense of social isolation.https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/government-introduces-bill-to-ban-social-media-for-under-16s/CFN76PV7UBCOPNGIRQGQO2RVHI/

 

St Flavia Domitilla of Verracina (May 7)

St Flavia Domitilla, please pray for the Church