Social media ban for under-16s in New Zealand

Parliament is looking hard at social media and kids right now.

An interim report from the Education and Workforce Select Committee says online harm in New Zealand is “widespread and deeply felt by young people” and treats it as a public health issue that needs action from government, tech platforms, business and community groups together. Law News

That is a big call.

It also matches what we see every week.

At Net Branding, we sit in the middle of parents, schools, businesses and social platforms.

Alongside that, our aligned charity, I’m Enough, founded by Cathy Mellett, has been in classrooms for years, talking with students and teachers about self-worth in a digital world.

So, this report is not an abstract policy piece to us.
It touches real people we know by name.

The select committee’s interim report recommends some strong moves.

A ban on social media accounts for under-16s:-

• A single national online safety regulator.
• Tougher rules that make platforms more responsible for harmful content.
• More funding for digital literacy.
• Tighter controls on online advertising to young people.
• A ban on “nudify” and other deepfake apps that can create sexualised images.

The report also calls for:-

• More transparency around algorithms and how they keep people hooked.
• A review of current “safe harbour” rules that let platforms avoid liability in many cases.

If you are a parent, school leader or business owner, you might be asking:-

• Will a ban work?
• How would this be enforced for overseas platforms?
• What can I actually do today, before any law changes?

Those are the right questions.

The committee has not pretended a ban is perfect.

Tech experts told them any age rule can be worked around, and that there is a risk young people move into darker corners of the internet.

The report still comes down on the side of an age delay, saying the level of harm young people are facing justifies it as part of a wider package.

There is also an overseas context:-

• Australia has already passed a ban on social media accounts for under 16s, and platforms can face penalties if they breach it.
• Denmark plans an under-15s ban, and France requires parental consent for under-15s to use social media.

So New Zealand is not making this up in isolation.

Other countries are experimenting, and some are already in court over it.

Does that mean a ban will fix everything?
No.

Does it help signal that online harm is not “just how it is”?
We think it does.

From the Net Branding side, our team has watched social media shift from a nice add-on to something that shapes how young people see themselves every day. We have been around since it was only Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. But remember before that.

At I’m Enough, the stories are even closer to the bone.

In school sessions and community talks, we keep hearing variations of the same themes:-

• Constant pressure to post, reply and “keep up”.
• Group chats that flip from fun to cruel in minutes.
• Kids measuring their worth in likes and views.
• Parents who feel out of their depth trying to keep pace.

Perhaps you recognise pieces of this in your own home.
Or in your classroom.

That is why I’m Enough has focused on programmes inside schools rather than only online campaigns. imenough.co+1

Some of the work includes:-

– Digital in Schools
Helping students and staff unpack how social media is designed and how to stay grounded while using it.
– Resilience in Kiwi Kids
Practical tools around self-worth, dealing with comparison and setting boundaries on screen time.
– Downloads and activities
Worksheets, exercises and conversation starters that families and teachers can use at home or in class.

Underneath all of this sits a simple message.
You are enough, even when your feed says you are not.

The select committee points to something we talk about often in workshops.

Social platforms are built to keep you there.

The report notes that the business model behind large platforms gives them a strong incentive to design feeds and features that are “addicting and stimulating for young people” and that these same features can feed psychological and behavioural harm.

You see it when

• One video becomes ten videos, and half an hour disappears.
• A child tries to close an app, but “just one more scroll” turns into twenty.
• Panic sets in when they hear a beep, and they are not able to get to their phone immediately.
• Content gets steadily more extreme because that is what holds attention.

If you are a parent or a school, you are trying to support children in an environment that is actively competing for their focus.

That is a tough ask if the regulation stays weak.

The call for a single, agile online safety regulator in New Zealand is, in our view, overdue.
Right now, responsibility is spread across roughly a dozen agencies and industry bodies, which makes action slow and patchy.

We are not anti tech.
We work with digital tools all day.
We simply think the rules should reflect the power these tools now hold.

You do not have to wait for Parliament.

For parents:-

• Talk early and often about what social media is designed to do.
• Ask your child what they are seeing rather than only what they are posting.
• Agree device device-free times in the house, and stick to them most of the time at least. Aren’t the holidays a great time to do this.
• Share your own struggles with screens so it feels like a shared problem, not a lecture.

For schools:-

• Treat online harm as part of wellbeing, not just an IT issue.
• Bring in external voices where useful, whether that is I’m Enough programmes or other trusted providers.
• Train staff to recognise digital red flags, not only face-to-face ones.
• Involve students in shaping school-wide digital norms, so rules feel less like something “done to them”.

For businesses and brands:-

• Look honestly at how your content might land on younger audiences.
• Avoid tactics that lean on fear, insecurity or appearance-based pressure.
• Think about the time of day and context in which your ads appear.
• Support staff who are parents too, with information or sessions on digital wellbeing.

You cannot control everything your kids, students or customers see.
You can still tilt their world a little more in favour of calm, rather than constant comparison.

The Hidden Pandemic: Surviving Social Media

Cathy Mellett wrote The Hidden Pandemic: Surviving Social Media after years of working with families, schools and businesses in this space. Google Books+1.

The book looks at

• How social media affects kids, teens and adultsk
• The upside as well as the risksk
• Simple ideas to start better conversations at home, in class and at work

You can download a free copy through the I’m Enough website for a limited time.

If you read it, take one idea and test it with your family or team this week.
Not all of it will fit everyone.
That is fine.
The goal is to get you talking, not to hand you a perfect rulebook.

At Net Branding, our day job sits in digital marketing.

So why write about this topic at all

Because every strategy we build runs through the same platforms that are shaping young minds.
We have a responsibility to think about that, not only cost per click and reach.

You can expect from us:-

• Honest conversations about the impact of your digital campaigns.
• Care with creative that might be seen by younger audiences.
• Support if your brand finds itself in the middle of an online pile-on or crisis.

And through I’m Enough, we will keep putting real tools into the hands of students, teachers and parents.

If you are reading this as a school, parent group or business, and you want to talk, reach out.
Sometimes a short conversation helps clarify what to do next.

Is social media already banned for under-16s in New Zealand?

• No.
  At the time of writing, the select committee has released an interim report with recommendations, including a ban on social media accounts for under-16s, but this has not yet become law. Law News

What would a ban actually cover?

• The report suggests a restriction on accounts for under-16s, similar to the Australian model, where children cannot hold accounts on major platforms and platforms can face penalties if they do not take reasonable steps to prevent this.

Will a ban stop all harmful content?

• No.
  – Young people could still see content without accounts, and some will find ways around any age checks.
  – The idea is to reduce harm as part of a wider package that also lifts digital literacy, tightens rules on harmful tools like deepfake apps and strengthens regulation of the platforms themselves. Law News

How can our school or organisation work with I’m Enough or Net Branding

• You can contact Net Branding to discuss:-
  – I’m Enough programmes in schools.
  – Parent or staff information sessions on digital wellbeing.
  – Support for your organisation or brand on safer digital practice.