The release of the Education and Workforce Committee’s final report into the harms young New Zealanders encounter online has reinforced calls for stronger protections as new technologies rapidly reshape the digital risks facing children.

The cross-party inquiry recommends a range of measures, including establishing an independent national online safety regulator, introducing age restrictions for social media, strengthening platform accountability, banning “nudify” apps, and prohibiting the creation and distribution of non-consensual deepfake sexual imagery.

Advocates say the findings closely align with the concerns outlined in their co-authored report The Digital Sexual Landscape, Children and Young People in Aotearoa New Zealand, which reported on how young people are increasingly encountering sexualised content, exploitation risks, and harmful emerging technologies online.

Holly Brooker, cofounder of Makes Sense, says the pace of technological change means the risks facing young people are significant and growing.

“This is an emerging trend that’s growing rapidly and our regulatory approach hasn’t kept up,” Brooker said, referring to the rise of online sexual harm, AIgenerated abuse imagery and imagemanipulation tools. “With online sexual harm increasing, kids are more at risk of predators when they’re on their devices.”

Brooker says the inquiry highlights significant gaps in how New Zealand currently responds to online harm.

“We’ve got a huge systemic issue in New Zealand. Successive governments have known about online harm for a decade and, while there’s been good intent, there hasn’t been enough action. We now have bipartisan support from two major parties to address this - we sincerely hope they follow through.”

While some commentators have raised concerns that stronger protections could affect online freedoms, advocates say the inquiry makes clear that current systems are not keeping pace with the digital environments young people are navigating and they are facing significant risks, particulary in the area of online sexual harm.

Key international findings include:

• Online sexual interaction: 1 in 3 young people reported having an online sexual interaction; 1 in 5 believed it to be with an adult (Thorn, 2023).
• Online grooming: At least 1 in 10 young people have been targeted by an online predator (Schittenhelm et al., 2024).
• Image-based abuse: 1 in 3 people reported that someone had taken a nude or sexual image of them without their consent (Henry et al., 2021).
• Sextortion: 1 in 10 Australian adolescents said that someone had sexually extorted them for money or more intimate material (Wolbers et al., 2025).
• Self-generated CSAM: 13% of minors reported they had a friend who had received money or gifts in exchange for self-generated CSAM, while another 7% selected “prefer not to say” (Thorn, 2023).

The committee’s recommendations aim to close legislative gaps, strengthen accountability for platforms that host and promote harmful content, and invest in better resources for parents, caregivers, and young people.

“Parents are struggling to keep up with tech, and research shows screen time is one of our top concerns,” Brooker said. “We need better education to make informed decisions, and we absolutely need the Government to lead from the top with policies that hold platforms accountable, so safety by design and child safety are at the forefront of tech development. We can't rely on one or two things, we need a whole-of-society approach to address online harm to our most vulnerable.”

The committee recommended investing in New Zealand-based research, public education campaigns, and greater involvement of young people in shaping responses to online harm- areas also highlighted in The Digital Sexual Landscape report.

The Government now has 60 working days to respond to the committee’s recommendations. Advocates say the report provides an important opportunity for New Zealand to develop a balanced approach that protects young people while maintaining an open and democratic internet.

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