Latest news with #SocialMediaAge-RestrictedUsersBill
NZ Herald
27-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Tauranga teens debate social media age limit proposal for under-16s
The move comes after strong reaction when National MP Catherine Wedd's Social Media Age-Restricted Users Bill was introduced in May. It would put the onus on social media companies to verify users' ages. The Bay of Plenty Times spoke to seven Ōtūmoetai College students about the ideas. They said while raising the age limit could encourage younger generations to form a healthier relationship with social media, it could also create other problems. Dominik Bennett, 18, said kids today did not know a life outside of social media. He did not believe the social media ban would be successful in pushing them to socialise outside of digital spaces. 'They're already on their phones anyway. They're going to find other ways to entertain themselves outside of social media.' If the ban went ahead, Dominik said: 'People who are allowed to drive and only a couple of years away from voting will have never had an experience online.' He said teens needed to learn how to cope with online peer pressure on apps such as Instagram and he was worried waiting until 16 was leaving it too late. Dominik said when his parents grew up without social media, physical bullying was the means of harassment. 'Now the fight's moved online,' Dominik said. 'There will always be a fight. You can't stop bullying from happening.' He expressed concern the fight may become physical again if social media platforms were not available. But raising the age limit to 16 could mitigate the exposure to constant dopamine and the 'doom-scrolling effect'. He said his generation lost attention quickly because of the instant satisfaction of having everything on demand via social media. 'My sister can't watch a two-hour movie,' Dominik said. 'She goes on TikTok, finds the best bits, and keeps scrolling.' Lifting the age limit would help younger generations become more attentive, Dominik said. Ōtūmoetai College students Will Martin (left), 14, Maonga Te Ruku Gallagher Harrison, 15, Dominik Bennett, 18, Dayna Bennett, 18, Ashton Zhou, 16, Olivia Finau, 13, and Lucia Poff, 16. Photo / Bijou Johnson Dayna Bennett, 18, agreed and said late blooming could be a good thing. 'If we grow up without social media, then when we get to 16 it's like a new exciting thing, but you're not dependent on it. You're not reliant on it for your everyday source of dopamine,' she said. The transition period from 13 to 16 would be difficult for kids who already had social media, Dayna said. However, once it was in play, the ban could be beneficial to people who had never had it. Dayna said the ban may help students experience the benefits of social media, rather than wasting their time, becoming addicted, or depending on false connections. Instead of using social media, Dayna messages her closest friends via text. On the other hand, Olivia Finau, 13, said she used social media to stay in touch with long-distance friends and family – her cousin, for example, who owned an iPad, not a phone. Ōtūmoetai College students Dayna Bennett, Dominik Bennett, Will Martin, Olivia Finau, Lucia Poff, Ashton Zhou and Maonga Te Ruku Gallagher Harrison have shared their thoughts on a social media ban. Photo / Bijou Johnson Being under 16, Olivia wouldn't be able to communicate with her cousin if a social media restriction were in place. Will Martin, 14, said he used social media to 'connect with people I wouldn't usually see and learn about their experiences and their perspectives, which I feel like has broadened my learning'. Social media connected them, regardless of geographical restrictions. However, Lucia Poff, 16, said the ban was too late. 'People who are younger than 13 already have social media,' she said. 'People who are 9 years old are already addicted to their phones.' Maonga Te Ruku Gallagher Harrison, 15, expanded on Dominik's comments about bullying, saying he believed social media should be banned for 18-year-olds as well. He said rangatahi (young people) needed to wake up and realise the harmful consequences of social media on mental health. Ashton Zhou, 16, called social media a 'double-edged sword'. 'If we're taught to use things properly, if we're taught to separate ourselves from the screen, I think it can be used really well. 'Social media can't hurt you,' he said. 'You're using something that's inanimate, and the way you've used it may indirectly lead to not-so-great things happening. And unfortunately, that's something that we have to live with as people who are growing up around technology.' Ōtūmoetai College principal Russell Gordon supported the intent of the bill, saying as an educator he had seen social media misused and online drama spill into school life. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told the Herald in May that restricting access for under-16s would help protect kids from bullying, harmful content and social media addiction. – Bijou Johnson is an intern journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times.
Newsroom
04-06-2025
- Health
- Newsroom
High-flyer mums flex their parenting muscle
A year ago, a group of rich-lister mums met with other high fliers from all walks of life and political hues with one thing in mind. Many were strangers to each other but the thing that united them was the push to bring in a law to get under-16-year-olds off social media. Such is the power of the group B416 and their cause that politicians from all corners came along to their launch last month, including Act's David Seymour, who doesn't support a social media ban. It took place just days after National's Catherine Wedd put forward her Social Media Age-Restricted Users Bill, a private member's bill. Since the launch, the move has faced criticism of moral panic, overreach and that a ban will risk the lives of vulnerable young people. But B416, which is co chaired by entrepreneur Cecilia Robinson and includes multi millionaire toy maker Anna Mowbray, says it is time to listen to parents who want to protect their children from social media harm. Founding member Malindi MacLean, who heads Outward Bound, says a lot of the criticism is from people who are not parents. 'It's really important to keep [in mind] the lived experience of parents. They are day in, day out experiencing the impact of social media addiction, or addictive behaviours of their children. 'A parent who has just been dealing with their teenager who is self harming or has sextortion or dealing with cyber bullying … it's not something that you can argue with.' Those arguing against a potential law that would force social media giants to use age verification measures on under 16s include retired district court judge, David Harvey; youth mental health activist Jazz Thornton; Victoria University media lecturer Alex Beattie and the online counselling service Youthline. Judge Harvey says the proposed bill is flawed and could get the Government in trouble with freedom-of-expression laws. There's also a risk it will exclude the likes of YouTube, he says. Thornton believes a blanket ban will cause harm to the most vulnerable children and even lead to deaths, while Beattie argues social media can be a good communication tool for children and parents, and is not an addiction like smoking. MacLean says she welcomes the debate but her group wants progress. Hence the extensive billboard and social media campaign. She says the time and resources put into the campaign would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the influential group has tapped into many communities for contributions and support. 'That just shows the appetite for change. The other thing is we've had a lot of support from organisations pro bono because most of them are human beings who also understand the issues.' Wedd's bill is in the biscuit tin in Parliament which means it may never see the light of day before the next election. That's not good enough for B416, which wants to see a policy by the end of the year, following Australia's world-first law and trials of the age-verification technology already underway. Tech expert Danu Abeysuriya of digital firm Rush tells The Detail how the technology could work and why it is important for New Zealand to follow Australia and others. 'We are a small nation and we don't represent a lot of revenue for large tech companies like Google, Facebook or X or Twitter. They focus on social media and to those companies our ad revenue is relatively small. 'Whatever we have to do we should still attempt to be practical otherwise we risk being alienated from those platforms. The balancing act is aligning what we do with what the rest of the world does.' Abeysuriya says there are a number of age-verification options but one of the simplest would be a digital token bought from the Warehouse, the local petrol station or even the child's school. Other technology could be used to put children off using social media, such as slowing down internet traffic. In this case the government would mandate Internet Service Providers such as One NZ to run traffic at half speed in specific time periods. 'It creates a bit of friction,' says Abeysuriya. 'If the TikTok video loads really slowly the kids might not watch the TikTok video, they might do something else like read a book.' He says the solutions are ideas and nothing will be perfect. 'The bravery to move is the thing that needs to happen here.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
Otago Daily Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Safety, rights and practicalities
It is tempting to cheer on the proposed social media ban for children under 16. Social media has proved toxic for young people and destructive to mental health. It is an avenue for bullying and exclusion, as well as unrealistic expectations about body image. It is laced with disinformation, misogyny and extremism. Its profit-seeking algorithms, gamification and predatory tactics harm children. Parents need the support of a ban as backup in their efforts to help protect the most vulnerable — children at a stage when their brains are maturing and they are especially susceptible to peer influence. Australia's looming ban has received popular support, and the Social Media Age-Restricted Users Bill is likely to be welcomed by a majority here if it comes to the House. Similar moves are under way in parts of the United States and Europe. The restrictions on mobile phones in New Zealand schools have largely been positive and accepted, despite various practical and other objections raised before the change was introduced. National failed to secure Act New Zealand's support to progress the Bill as a government measure. It must take its chances in the ballot as a Member's Bill. Labour, however, surprised by the support for and success of the school cellphone ban, is open to discussion. The political hurdles are not insurmountable. The Bill is under the name of MP Catherine Wedd. She argued that, as a mother of four, she was "living and breathing the negative impacts of social media in our communities every day". Parents needed the government to support them, she said. We ban underage harmful tobacco, vapes and firearms, so why not social media? Some say the onus should be on the platforms. They should be regulated and held to account. Good luck with that. Despite this lineup of strong reasons for the ban, practical and fundamental issues stand in the way of the Bill's good intent. It should also be acknowledged that social media has benefits for young people. It can create online communities for minorities, help the introverted and enable self-expression. Act said the Bill was hastily drafted, simplistic and unworkable. Indeed, the very definition of social media is causing headaches, notably as messaging apps spread their functions well beyond just messages and conversations. Popular games such as Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite include social interaction. Google convinced the Australian government to exempt YouTube from the ban. If specific apps like TikTok, Instagram or Facebook are prohibited, others will take their place. Adolescents could be driven to less regulated or more dangerous platforms. Age verification is challenging and has yet to be fully clarified for Australia. Uploaded evidence could be faked. Smart teenagers could also easily set up virtual networks to pretend to be in another country. Such workarounds could rapidly spread. What is the point of a law if it cannot be enforced? Would it be just a feel-good failure? Everybody, it seems, would have to go through the age justification process, putting more data on the internet and giving more private information to the platforms. They are not to be trusted. How, too, would governments establish that social media companies were failing to verify ages? How could small countries like New Zealand enforce potential fines and penalties? There are issues about the government acting like a "nanny state", even potentially a police state. Responsibility and decision-making would be taken from parents, who have their individual values and contexts. A substantial intrusion on freedom of expression lies behind the issue. The ban specifically targets the ability and rights of under-16s to communicate, share ideas, and access information. Social media is about far more than entertainment and communication. For better and for worse, it is where many people, regardless of age, engage with news and the world and participate. It also sets a government precedent for restricting rights, the slippery slope. First, the under-16s, and what comes next? Practical considerations alone could be sufficient to block any effective change. If not, there remains the constant tension between safety and rights.
Scoop
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
We Can't Just Turn Off The Internet For Those Under 16
Press Release – NZ Council for Civil Liberties The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties opposes this bill as unreasonable in principle and unworkable in practice and believes it should not be progressed if selected for introduction. The NZ Council for Civil Liberties opposes the Social Media Age-Restricted Users Bill presented by National MP Catherine Wedd with support from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, which would ban those under 16 from accessing social media. The bill's definition of social media is incredibly broad and includes any platform where the primary purpose is to 'enable social interactions between 2 or more end-users'. This would include the obvious contenders such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter/X, YouTube, and Instagram, but also describes a large range of other sites such as Reddit, Discord, hobbyist forums, support groups, and arguably even email. 'The New Zealand Bill of Rights guarantees us the right to freedom of expression, the ability to seek, send and receive information, and this applies to people under the age of 16 too. They have the right to communicate with each other, their friends, and their family, and the modern reality is that they use social media to do so.' says Thomas Beagle. 'But they're doing more than that: we've seen youth-led political movements such as JustSpeak, School Strike 4 Climate and the Make It 16 campaigns all use social media to organise political campaigns. This bill is a gross imposition on their rights and a terrible discouragement to just the sort of politically active people our country needs.' The bill puts the responsibility on the platforms to determine the age of their users, and we are concerned that this might lead to New Zealanders being forced to provide identity documents and other evidence to both local and foreign platform providers, who already know far too much about us and are happy to sell that information to others. However, the bill is very light on detail with the tricky specifics to be developed in regulation (making the whole regulatory process susceptible to lobbying and corruption). The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties opposes this bill as unreasonable in principle and unworkable in practice and believes it should not be progressed if selected for introduction.
Scoop
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
We Can't Just Turn Off The Internet For Those Under 16
The NZ Council for Civil Liberties opposes the Social Media Age-Restricted Users Bill presented by National MP Catherine Wedd with support from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, which would ban those under 16 from accessing social media. The bill's definition of social media is incredibly broad and includes any platform where the primary purpose is to 'enable social interactions between 2 or more end-users'. This would include the obvious contenders such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter/X, YouTube, and Instagram, but also describes a large range of other sites such as Reddit, Discord, hobbyist forums, support groups, and arguably even email. 'The New Zealand Bill of Rights guarantees us the right to freedom of expression, the ability to seek, send and receive information, and this applies to people under the age of 16 too. They have the right to communicate with each other, their friends, and their family, and the modern reality is that they use social media to do so.' says Thomas Beagle. 'But they're doing more than that: we've seen youth-led political movements such as JustSpeak, School Strike 4 Climate and the Make It 16 campaigns all use social media to organise political campaigns. This bill is a gross imposition on their rights and a terrible discouragement to just the sort of politically active people our country needs.' The bill puts the responsibility on the platforms to determine the age of their users, and we are concerned that this might lead to New Zealanders being forced to provide identity documents and other evidence to both local and foreign platform providers, who already know far too much about us and are happy to sell that information to others. However, the bill is very light on detail with the tricky specifics to be developed in regulation (making the whole regulatory process susceptible to lobbying and corruption). The New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties opposes this bill as unreasonable in principle and unworkable in practice and believes it should not be progressed if selected for introduction.
