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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Eva Corlett in Wellington

New Zealand’s prime minister proposes social media ban for under-16s

teenage school girls on their phones
New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon said the draft law was designed to make sure ‘social media companies are playing their role in keeping our kids safe’. Photograph: Deborah Lee Rossiter/Alamy

New Zealand’s prime minister has proposed banning children under 16 years old from using social media, in an effort to protect young people from harms such as exposure to violent content and cyberbullying.

Christopher Luxonsaid on Tuesday the draft law would force social media companies to verify users were at least 16 before allowing them to create an account, or face fines of up to NZ$2m ($1.2m).

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