Rights Aotearoa is urging the Government not to support the Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill, which would ban under-16s from social media platforms.

The Bill, drawn from the member's ballot yesterday, takes the wrong approach to online safety by restricting young people's rights rather than regulating the platforms themselves.

"Banning young people from social media violates their fundamental rights and will do nothing to make platforms safer," said Paul Thistoll, CEO of Rights Aotearoa. "The answer is to regulate the platforms, not the users."

Rights of the Child

The Bill breaches young people's rights under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, particularly section 14's guarantee of freedom of expression. It restricts children's access to information and their ability to participate in digital civic life without demonstrating these restrictions are necessary or proportionate.

"Young people have rights too. This Bill treats them as problems to be managed rather than rights-holders to be protected," said Thistoll.

Surveillance and Privacy

The Bill will require invasive age verification systems that threaten everyone's privacy, not just young people's.

"Rights Aotearoa opposes online digital ID and mandatory age verification. These systems create surveillance infrastructure that puts all New Zealanders' privacy at risk," said Thistoll. "We've seen overseas how age verification becomes a backdoor to digital identity requirements and data harvesting."

Harm to Rainbow Youth

The Bill will disproportionately harm LGBTQ+ young people, including transgender, non-binary, and intersex youth, who rely on social media for community connection and access to affirming information.

"For many rainbow young people, social media provides crucial support networks they can't access elsewhere—especially in rural areas or unsupportive home environments," said Thistoll. "This ban could isolate the most vulnerable young people at the time they need connection most."

The Right Approach

"If the Government is serious about online safety, it should regulate the platforms—their algorithms, their data practices, their content moderation, and their advertising models," said Thistoll. "Making platforms safer protects everyone. Banning young people just pushes them towards less safe corners of the internet."

Rights Aotearoa calls on all MPs to vote against this Bill and instead pursue meaningful platform regulation.

About Rights Aotearoa:
Rights Aotearoa is New Zealand's leading non-governmental organisation devoted to promoting and defending universal human rights with a focus on transgender, non-binary, and intersex rights.

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