Wellington. The New Zealand government has taken a big and tough step to keep children and teenagers safe from the dangers of the digital world. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced that there will be a complete ban on the use of social media for children under 16 years of age in the country. In this regard, the government is soon going to present 'Online Safety Bill' in the Parliament.
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Tech companies will be fined 10% of global revenue
Under this law, a very strict stance has been taken on social media companies. If a platform fails to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts on its app, it can be fined up to 10 percent of its global revenue. The government has made it clear that social media companies will take full responsibility for violation of rules and children or their parents will not be punished for this.
Ban will be applicable on these major apps
Let us tell you that this decision of the government will have the biggest impact on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook. These companies will have to adopt strict technical measures like 'Facial Age Estimation' and 'Digital ID' to accurately verify the age of New Zealand users.
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Mental health and addiction are major reasons
Deteriorating mental health of children, online harassment and screen addiction are being said to be the main reasons behind this decision. According to government figures, every third child aged 13 to 17 in New Zealand is spending at least 5 hours a day on social media, which is having a negative impact on their studies, sleep and family life.
Political challenges in the path of law
However, it will not be so easy for the government to pass this bill. Allies of Prime Minister Luxon's coalition government have opposed this ban. They argue that children can easily bypass this restriction through VPN. Additionally, the passage of this bill may face some delay or political obstruction due to the upcoming elections in November.