Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Act leader David Seymour are at odds over a National Party member's bill to ban social media for under-16s. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Act leader David Seymour are at odds over a National Party member's bill to ban social media for under-16s. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Act will not support a National Party member’s bill banning social media for under-16s, killing the Prime Minister’s hope for the bill to be adopted by the Government.
However, Christopher Luxon says he is encouraged by positive comments made by Labour about the bill and suggests he may be able to garner enough support across the House to pass it.
Luxon and Tukituki MP Catherine Wedd, whose name the bill is under, announced National’s caucus had agreed to progress the Social Media Age-Appropriate Users Bill with the intention of protecting the “most vulnerable young teenagers and children from the online harms of social media”.
The bill would put the onus on social media companies to verify that users were over the age of 16 before they accessed social media platforms.
Wedd said the bill closely mirrors the approach taken in Australia, which passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill in December 2024, set to come into force by December this year.
Luxon this morning expressed hope the Government would adopt the bill, instead of waiting for the bill to be pulled during the ballot.
Asked why he hadn’t progressed it as a Government bill and whether his coalition partners supported it, Luxon referred questions to the respective leaders of Act and New Zealand First.
National leader Christopher Luxon and National MP Catherine Wedd pose with their member's bill to ban social media for under-16s.
Act leader David Seymour this afternoon stated his party would not support National’s bill.
“I’m really worried about social media’s effect, but for every problem there’s a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
“Just slapping on a ban hastily drafted won’t solve the real problem. The real problem has to involve parents, the solution proposed by National doesn’t.”
Seymour said it was appropriate to wait to see how Australia’s ban played out as well as holding a select committee inquiry.
“What I’d like to see is the people worried about this, the educational psychologists, the social media companies themselves, everybody come before a select committee, really thrash it out, and get a solution that is technologically feasible.”
Seymour said he hadn’t been approached by Luxon about the bill but added: “Of course, he’s welcome to come to us”.
NZ First leader Winston Peters believed the bill should be adopted by the Government but he also supported a select committee inquiry.
“It’s not just about the coalition, it’s about whether enough parties in Parliament have the clarity and clear-eyed sense of what’s needed right now for people who are at that age.”
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said earlier today he was “broadly supportive” of the bill but felt having consensus within the Government was important.
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said she wanted to learn more about the potential ban, acknowledging the bill was simplistic.
Speaking to media after Seymour’s comments, Luxon said he was not disappointed by Act’s decision.
“No, I think you’ve seen positive comments recently also from Labour.
“It gives us a good foundation to see whether we can explore and make it a Government bill, working with other parties and other party leaders.”
Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.
