New Zealand moves to ban under-16s from social media in major crackdown

New Zealand has introduced legislation to ban under-16s from social media, with platforms facing hefty fines for non-compliance.

New Zealand's government introduced legislation on Monday to ban under 16s from using social media, joining a number of countries seeking to keep youngsters off sites such as Instagram and TikTok.

Australia implemented world-first legislation banning children from social media in December, with the UK, France and others following suit.

Under New Zealand's proposed law, firms like Meta could be fined up to 10 percent of their global revenue if they fail to comply.

"We simply cannot accept the harm being done to a generation of New Zealand children," Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.