Labour to settle social media ban stance before November election, Hipkins signals

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has committed his party to reaching a position on the government's under-16s social media ban bill before the November election, but has said that will not happen immediately. Hipkins told media he was 'certainly open to' settling the party's stance before the election 'if a way could be found' to do so, according to the New Zealand Herald.

The legislation was unveiled at Parliament on Monday by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and senior Cabinet Minister Erica Stanford. It would prevent anyone under 16 from legally accessing social media platforms, with companies required to take 'reasonable' steps to verify users' ages, according to Stuff.

National has put the bill forward without the backing of its coalition partners. Both ACT and New Zealand First confirmed on Monday they would not vote for it, having opposed National's approach. NZ First leader Winston Peters said on his official Facebook page that 'the Government is not moving to ban under-16s from social media' and that NZ First would not support the legislation progressing further. Luxon confirmed the bill is unlikely to get its first reading — the initial debate Parliament holds on a new bill, where MPs decide whether it proceeds to a select committee for detailed scrutiny — until after the November election.

Labour's technology and media spokesperson Reuben Davidson said the party had released a list of more than 70 questions about the proposal. National responded on Monday night by providing more than 100 pages of information after the bill was introduced. Davidson confirmed receipt of the material, according to RNZ. He said the ban bill was 'not strong enough to provide the protections young New Zealanders need' and that while a ban could be part of the solution, it was 'not a silver bullet.'

Davidson said he wanted the legislation to include 'safety by design' provisions — meaning platforms would be required to build safety features into their products from the outset rather than adding them later — and regulation of social media algorithms, the automated systems that decide what content users see. This aligns with earlier Labour policy positions. In March, the party published a release describing the government's online safety inquiry as 'a step forward' and calling for clear rules to control deepfake technology alongside a ban on 'nudify' apps, citing risks to young people's privacy and safety.

The ban proposal has its roots in developments across the Tasman. Australia's Senate passed laws in 2025 banning young people under 16 from social media sites from the end of that year, covering platforms including Facebook and TikTok. Luxon said at the time that a social media ban for young people would be investigated, following Australia's passage of its legislation.

The broader context here is a breakdown in coalition discipline on a politically sensitive issue. National has opted to introduce legislation it knows its partners will not support, forcing each party to campaign on a distinct online safety stance heading into November. For National, the bill functions as a signaling exercise rather than a law with a realistic path through the House this term, given that the first reading will not occur until after the election.

Labour's delay in finalising a position gives the party room to assess the more than 100 pages of material National provided. Davidson's emphasis on 'safety by design' and algorithm regulation suggests Labour is shaping an alternative policy framework that pairs platform accountability with targeted restrictions, rather than adopting National's blanket prohibition. The party's March release on deepfakes and 'nudify' apps signals a wider interest in online harms that extends beyond age-gating.

For those working in Parliament day to day, the procedural reality is straightforward. The bill is before the House but will not be debated until after the election. The coalition parties are publicly split. Labour is keeping its options open. The November election will determine whether the under-16s ban becomes law, and in what form.