logo
Social media restrictions will need to be policed by government

Social media restrictions will need to be policed by government

RNZ News12-05-2025

Social media companies would have few incentives to do the policing of any age restrictions. File photo.
Photo:
RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
The government needs to take the lead on implementing any age verification processes in its proposal to restrict social media use for under-16s, rather than relying on social media platforms to do the policing, an information systems expert says.
National MP Catherine Wedd's member's Bill would - if passed into law - require social media platforms to verify that users are aged 16 or over.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
announced on Sunday
that the government will be progressing this as part of its work programme.
University of Auckland lecturer Shohil Kishore, whose research focuses on social media, said the proposed ban was a step in the right direction, but would meet obstacles in its implementation.
He said social media platforms generated huge revenues from advertising - including advertising to children - and would be reluctant to devote resources to enforcing the rules.
"I don't think they're going to like doing this, it will just be extra work for them, but it is really important for us as a country to think about how we can regulate technology to best serve us," he said.
Kishore said it would also be unsafe, from a data privacy perspective, for social media companies to be tasked with age verification processes.
He said the safest way would be for the age verification to be done through a government service, such as the Realme service which was already being used.
Kishore said the cost of implementation needed to be part of the government's discussions around this proposal.
He expected that this would be a significant cost.
Social media platforms also needed to step up to their moral responsibilities, he said.
"This lack of accountability that we currently have is completely unfair for kids, it puts them at risk of sexual exploitation, cyber bullying and exposure to a lot of harmful content , so they [companies] have to be accountable, we have to make sure these platforms are accountable," said Kishore.
Kishore said he hoped that the government will also consider other factors, and bring social media platforms, parents and schools into the conversation.
He said parents often lacked awareness about the kind of content children were exposed to - such as "confession pages" set up by students, where children were posting anonymously and engaging in cyber bullying.
Another aspect to consider was the definition of social media, and whether online interactive games such as Roblox would be included in the definition, he said.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter
curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Supreme Court to hear Mt Messenger Public Works Act appeal
Supreme Court to hear Mt Messenger Public Works Act appeal

RNZ News

time7 hours ago

  • RNZ News

Supreme Court to hear Mt Messenger Public Works Act appeal

Tony and Debbie Pascoe. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin The Supreme Court will hear a penniless Taranaki farming couple's appeal against the compulsory acquisition of 11 hectares of their land for the Mt Messenger Bypass. But the country's highest court has indicated the hearing would have a narrow focus. New Plymouth's mayor denounced the move which he said would add extra time and money to the already over budget project. The six-kilometre, $360 million bypass aims to deliver a safer, more resilient route north out of Taranaki, avoiding an existing steep and windy stretch of highway which includes a narrow tunnel. NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) contractors were currently constructing the road from the southern and using a gondola to access the centre of the project because the Pascoe's land had not yet been secured. In its decision to allow the Pascoes leave to appeal, the Supreme Court said a central question would be to decide whether it was permissible for negotiations prior to the compulsory acquisition of the couple's land under the Public Works Act to be undertaken by a contractor, rather than by the Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk, or his officials. It would also examine whether outsourcing of negotiations to NZTA contractor The Property Group was consistent with the minister's statutory duty "to make every endeavour to negotiate in good faith". Tony Pascoe, who owns a farm with his wife on the northern boundary of the project, said the decision to allow the appeal was significant for all landowners. "Oh, it's huge. It's huge. This is huge for all land owners. To be off to the Supreme Court and then for them to also supply a barrister," he said. "Now the barrister's also asked the court to supply another counsel to be able to help her get this right. "So, we're pretty happy about it. We don't know what's going to happen, but were pretty happy." The courts had previously recognised the Pascoes - who face a $180,000 bill for legal costs from previous unsuccessful litigation - had little to no money. The Supreme Court said due to the complexity and nature of the appeal a lawyer would be appointed to represent the couple. Currently, the Pascoes were being offered $176,000 for the land required for the project and would need to relocate during construction because their home would become unliveable. Tony Pascoe wanted the Public Works Act process in relationship to his land to be restarted . If the Supreme Court agreed, he had a vision of the future. "A home, a farm hub and an income anywhere on our property. To be able to relocate our home and farm hub, to put a new home or relocatable home on a place that's geo-teched and suitable to put there," he said. "It's basically bloody easy but they've made it extremely hard for us." Long-time supporter of the Pascoes Marie Gibbs said granting leave to appeal to the Supreme Court was significant. "It shows that the issues around the Mt Messenger Bypass and the use of the Public Works Act are important not only for the Pascoes but also for every other landowner that faces having their land taken by force for a any sort of project like the bypass." She hoped the case would improve the process. "If the minister and LINZ are making every endeavour to negotiate in good faith to reach and agreement acceptable to the landowner then it's going to make the whole process less intimidating for landowners and they will actually get what they are entitled to." Mt Messenger bypass protester Marie Gibbs. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom had sympathy for the Pascoes, but said enough was enough. "I do love that movie The Castle and I do believe everyone has a right to their day in court, but they shouldn't have the right to appeal a court's decision 15 or 16 times," Holdom said. "And every single time, the court has found in favour of the project going ahead, but here we are again with another expensive delay." New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin Holdom wasn't sure if some of the people supporting the Pascoes had the couple's best interests at heart. "This is a vital project linking Taranaki to the north and a small group of essentially vexatious litigants have cost Kiwis hundreds of millions of dollars and seven years by using every trick in the book to ensure they've had more than a dozen days in court." Holdom said the latest appeal would also likely be unsuccessful and mean the loss of another construction season adding about $40 million to the project's ballooning costs. Land Information and NZTA were unable to comment because the case was before the courts. The appeal was set to be heard in October. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Rich Get Much Richer, Driving Inequality And Poverty
Rich Get Much Richer, Driving Inequality And Poverty

Scoop

time10 hours ago

  • Scoop

Rich Get Much Richer, Driving Inequality And Poverty

Press Release – Green Party Poverty and homelessness doesnt come from nowhere. They are created by inequality. Christopher Luxon has put his foot down on the accelerator. By design, the rich are getting much, much richer while the poor are getting much, much poorer,' says Chle … The 2025 NBR Rich List makes immediately obvious the need for a fair tax system, says the Green Party. 'The rich list is now worth more than one hundred billion dollars, while the Government has chosen to cut support to tens of thousands of the lowest income New Zealanders. It's time to tax wealth, and build a country where all of us can thrive,' says the Green Party's spokesperson for Finance and co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. 'Poverty and homelessness doesn't come from nowhere. They are created by inequality. Christopher Luxon has put his foot down on the accelerator. By design, the rich are getting much, much richer while the poor are getting much, much poorer. 'We already know that the wealthiest households are able to arrange their finances to pay half the effective tax rate of regular New Zealanders. That means, proportionally, teachers, nurses, builders and firefighters pay more of their income to support our country's infrastructure than the billionaires the Prime Minister has chosen to celebrate today. 'The Greens are ambitious for an Aotearoa New Zealand where everyone has what they need to thrive. We can have free GPs, free early childhood education, free dental care and rapidly reduce climate changing emissions – if the rich pay their fair share. 'A wealth tax on just the ten wealthiest rich listers alone would pay for free GP care for all New Zealanders. 'Don't let the people laughing their way to the bank while everyone else suffers tell you what is possible. We all deserve so much better, and our Green Budget shows how,' says Chlöe Swarbrick.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store