Welcoming The Interim Report From The Youth Online Harm Inquiry

Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand and Tāhono Trust [1] welcome the Interim Report from the Education and Workforce Select Committee, from their Inquiry into youth online harm [2] . Our organisations both submitted to the Inquiry, with a focus on a holistic approach to regulation and the need for an independent regulator. While youth are a particularly vulnerable part of our communities, there are other groups who equally deserve protection, for example some older persons who are being targeted by scammers.

"We note that content harm should include incitement to violence towards particular communities", said Anjum Rahman from Tāhono Trust. "This is a specific form of harm that is beyond young people viewing violent content such as the livestream of a mass murder attack."

"The focus on platform design is critical", says Lisa Woods from Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand. "This requires transparency on the impacts of platform design, as well as accountability for platforms when the design knowingly causes harm. The best way to achieve these results is the appointment of a statutorily independent regulator who would develop codes using a co-design approach with impacted communities."

We look forward to the release of the full report next year, with recommendations. In the meantime, we draw attention to our #NoHarmware campaign, which provides information and some actions communities can take to advocate for effective responses to online harm.

[1] Formerly known as the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono

[2] Inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders encounter online, and the roles that Government, business, and society should play in addressing those harms

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