Labour and National agree on social media ban for under-16s — but the bill won't become law before the election

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has written to Education Minister Erica Stanford confirming Labour will support a bill that would ban social media for under-16s. That means both Labour and National want the bill to move forward, even though National's own coalition partners are criticising it (RNZ).

Stanford announced the bill in Parliament on Monday without knowing whether Labour would back it. She found out about Labour's support from reporters on Tuesday afternoon and said she had not yet read Hipkins' letter. Hipkins said Labour discussed the bill at their team meeting on Tuesday morning before deciding (RNZ).

The bill will not be voted on before the election. Parliament's schedule is too full, so the bill will sit on a waiting list until the next group of MPs is elected and can pick it up (RNZ).

The bill was approved by Cabinet and introduced by a minister, making it a government bill. It would require social media platforms to take "reasonable steps" to check that users are over the minimum age (RNZ; NZ Herald).

ACT and NZ First, who are in government alongside National, have long opposed the ban. NZ First leader Winston Peters said the prime minister does not understand how the system works. ACT leader David Seymour said National has been "a bit panicked" in recent weeks over the social media ban (RNZ).

Both parties have raised privacy concerns and said the proposal does not do enough to keep under-16s safe online (NZ Herald). ACT has previously called the proposed ban "insane," and Seymour used a speech at Rally '26 on 28 June to criticise "knee-jerk attempts to ban social media" (ACT; ACT).

In March, a group of MPs finished a report on online harm and young people that recommended banning social media for under-16s and bringing in age checks. ACT said at the time it was worried about the push for a ban (Parliament select committee report). The report also said work should continue on ways to restrict social media for under-16s (Parliament).

Labour has separately called for rules to control deepfake technology and a ban on "nudify" apps, saying these pose real risks to young people's privacy and safety (Labour Party). A petition from the Before16 Charitable Trust has also been put before MPs, calling for online safety laws for children and a ban on social media until age 16 (Parliament).

The wider picture is worth understanding. National has put forward a bill that its own partners do not want, and those partners are now publicly attacking both the policy and the prime minister. Peters's remark that the prime minister lacks understanding is pointed because the bill cannot pass before the election. Introducing it now is mostly about political positioning: National gets to say it has acted on online safety, while ACT and NZ First get to distance themselves from a ban their voters are unsure about.

Labour's decision to back the bill at this early stage adds another layer. Hipkins is giving Stanford the support to move the bill forward, but because there will be no vote before the election, that backing depends on what happens when the public gets to have its say. If Labour forms the next government or holds enough seats to influence outcomes, the version of the bill that comes out of public consultation will matter more than its introduction this week.

In plain terms, the bill exists and has Labour's support for now, but it will not go any further until after the election. What happens then depends on who New Zealanders elect and whether the tensions within the coalition turn into firm opposition.