Ban social media accounts for under-16s and add a Digital Duty of Care
Pitched as a way to put basic rules on big technology companies and protect children online, Labour's Safer Online policy would ban social media accounts for under-16s and create new legal duties for online platforms.
📋 Labour: Safer Online, October 2026 →
What it does
- Bans social media accounts for under-16s, making social media companies legally responsible for keeping them off, with privacy safeguards on age checks.
- Commits to getting the existing under-16s legislation through its first reading and to select committee within Labour's first 100 days.
- Requires platforms to let users aged 16 and over choose between an algorithm-driven feed and posts only from accounts they follow, and to switch back at any time.
- Introduces a Digital Duty of Care law in Labour's first year, with stronger protections for under-18s and against deepfake abuse, including powers to take down 'nudify' apps and sites.
- Sets up an independent online regulator able to enforce safety standards and fine platforms that break the rules.
The debate
Chris Hipkins and technology spokesperson Reuben Davidson announced the policy on 19 October 2026. The government introduced its own under-16s bill in August, but it did not have the support of coalition partners NZ First and ACT and did not get a first reading before Parliament rose; Davidson called National's efforts a PR exercise. NZ First leader Winston Peters called Labour's ban a naive solution to a genuine issue, arguing it would mean either banning VPNs or digital ID for everyone, and questioned how far government should reach into the responsibilities of parents.
This overview is summarised by AI from public sources. It may contain errors and is a guide, not the definitive record — we welcome corrections.
Where our research raises a question the policy doesn't answer, we put it to you — these are our questions, not government policy. Your vote stays anonymous even when you sign up (we use sign-up only to send you more things to vote on that you care about), and we report aggregated results only — the country's sentiment, never how any individual voted.
Practical, non-partisan ideas anyone could act on to ease the squeeze — not government policy, just things worth weighing up. Vote the ones you'd back. Your vote stays anonymous even when you sign up; we report aggregated results only.
Key milestones
Labour announces its Safer Online policy
Labour said it would get the under-16 social media legislation through its first reading and to select committee within its first 100 days, give users a choice of feed, introduce a Digital Duty of Care law and set up an independent online regulator with power to fine platforms.
NZ First calls the ban naive
Winston Peters called the ban a naive solution to a genuine issue that would require banning VPNs or digital ID for everyone. RNZ noted the government's own bill had not reached a first reading without the support of NZ First and ACT.
Sources
- Safer Online (NZ Labour policy page) ↗
- Release: Labour to make it safer for Kiwis online (NZ Labour) ↗
- Labour pledges social media ban for under-16s (RNZ) ↗