Tech giants TikTok and Meta have urged New Zealand lawmakers to reconsider plans to ban social media use for under-16s, warning that such restrictions could drive young users to less regulated and more dangerous online spaces.
The caution came during a Parliamentary inquiry into social media harm, formally requested by ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar and overseen by the Education and Workforce Committee. The hearing- titled “Inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders encounter online, and the roles that government, business, and society should play in addressing those harms”, heard submissions from major tech companies, academics, and advocacy groups on Monday, RNZ reported.
The inquiry follows the National’s plan to introduce a member’s bill legislating a ban on social media access for children under 16. ACT, while calling for the inquiry, opposes the proposed ban, arguing for alternative approaches to online safety.
TikTok’s public policy lead for Australia and New Zealand, Ella Woods-Joyce, told MPs a blanket prohibition would be counterproductive.
As quoted by RNZ, “A blunt ban will not work and may send young people to spaces with fewer safety tools and oversight,” Woods-Joyce said.
She explained that TikTok already has a minimum age requirement of 13, with accounts for users under 16 automatically set to private. The company had removed about 280,000 suspected underage accounts in New Zealand, she said, reported RNZ.
However, National MP Carl Bates challenged her claims, noting that many primary school children he spoke to admitted using TikTok. Woods-Joyce said the company’s monitoring systems were continuously being strengthened.
Referring to a recent RNZ investigation that tested TikTok’s algorithms, she said, “They looked for harmful content and couldn’t find any. When they did search for it, the system redirected them to support services.”
Meta’s regional policy director, Mia Garlick, echoed the sentiment, saying the company supported safer, age-appropriate online experiences rather than outright bans.
“Locking teens out of digital platforms entirely can push them toward less regulated spaces,” Garlick said. “New Zealand has the opportunity to design a balanced, effective, and enforceable solution,” RNZ quoted.
She highlighted Meta’s recent changes that default teen accounts to private and include content and screen-time restrictions.
The inquiry also heard from other submitters who expressed both support and scepticism about the proposed ban.
Matthew Lesh of the UK’s Institute of Economic Affairs warned that heavy-handed regulation could have “unintended consequences,” citing a 1400% rise in VPN usage after Britain’s Online Safety Act came into effect.
As quoted by RNZ, “We need to be more creative than top-down solutions,” Lesh said. “Empowering parents and improving digital literacy is far more effective.”
Bryn Harris, chief legal counsel for the UK Free Speech Union, called a nationwide ban “onerous and illiberal,” arguing that it would be easy to bypass with VPNs. “The only alternative would be to firewall the entire country, like China,” he said.
Colm Gannon from the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children said global standards already exist for regulating online safety, and social media companies should be held accountable.
“We can regulate the internet. We just need to bring our laws in line with international standards,” he said. “The liability must fall on service providers,” RNZ quoted.
Meanwhile, Auckland University professor Antonia Lyons presented research showing that young people are constantly exposed to unhealthy marketing, including vaping and alcohol promotions.
“Thirty-five percent of surveyed teens reported seeing vape ads,” Lyons said. “We know it influences behaviour and how early they start drinking or vaping,” RNZ quoted.
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster also cautioned Parliament about the privacy implications of mandatory age verification.
“Any system requiring users to prove their age involves collecting sensitive personal information,” Webster said. “These privacy issues must be fully understood before moving forward,” quoted RNZ.
He said while no one wanted social media to become a space “dominated by violence or hate,” regulation must be carefully designed in conjunction with education.
Australia is set to implement a similar under-16 ban in December, a move many New Zealand lawmakers say they are watching closely before deciding how to proceed.
As the debate continues, the question for New Zealand remains: how to protect young users online, without shutting them out entirely.