Sydney: New Zealand Prime Minister on Tuesday, May 6, proposed to ban children under the age of 16 from social media, stressing the need to protect them from the dangers of large technological platforms.
Regulators around the world are struggling to ensure the safety of children online, because social media is increasingly flooded with violent and disturbing content.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has unveiled draft laws that would force social media companies to verify that users were at least 16 years old, or in front of fines of up to $ 2 million NZ (1.2 million US dollars).
The proposed ban was modeled on Strict laws recently adopted by Australiawhich is at the forefront of global efforts to regulate social media.
“It is time for New Zealand to recognize that, for all the good things that come from social media, it is not always a safe place for our young people,” Luxon told journalists.
“It is time that we put the burden on these platforms to protect vulnerable children from harmful content, cyberbullying and exploitation.”
It was not clear when the legislation was presented in Parliament, but Luxon said that he hoped to obtain support through the Chamber.
The laws were written by the National Center-Droit Party of Luxon, the largest member of the three-way power coalition in New Zealand.
To be adopted, they would need the support of the other two partners in the Luxon coalition.
“Parents constantly tell us that they are really worried about the impact that social media has about their children,” said Luxon.
“And they say they really find it difficult to manage access to social media.”
