New Zealand Moves Toward a Teen Social Ban — Australia's Six-Month Results Are Already In

New Zealand is the latest nation to introduce a ban on social media usage among young teens, according to Bloomberg. The government's new Online Safety Bill would require "high-risk social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook to take reasonable steps to check users are over the age of 16."

The bill, however, "is unlikely to progress" until after the nation's upcoming election in November, per Bloomberg.

Australia went first, and the results are public

New Zealand joins a growing list of regions seeking teen social media restrictions, following Australia's lead. The limitations are designed to protect teens from potentially harmful exposure and reduce the impacts of overuse.

The problem is that Australia's ban — considered the biggest test of social media age restrictions — is seemingly failing on most fronts. Australia's eSafety Commissioner released a six-month update earlier this month showing:

• Most underage teens are still accessing social apps
• There's been no change in either problematic online use or teen wellbeing
• Teens who reduced their social media usage increased their use of messaging apps and online games

These results come despite several platforms reportedly removing hundreds of thousands of teen accounts. Meta recently said it removed 750,000 accounts held by underage users in Australia since the restrictions began.

Two structural reasons it isn't landing

Substitution paths stay open. Australia's bans have had some impact on logged-in use, which could carry positive effects. But teenagers are going to find a way to use digital tools to connect, whether social media, messaging, gaming, or something else. The idea that banning teens from social media will prompt more of them to get outside and engage in person is unlikely. At best, young teens get pushed from mainstream social apps to more fringe platforms and connection tools — which is what many experts have warned about, saying those alternatives may be less safe and pose a bigger threat to young users.

Age checking does not work yet. Based on Australia's initial experience, platform age-verification measures have largely proven inadequate, with many teens simply listing an older birth date to avoid detection. Improved verification should be a key component of any age-checking proposal, and nations moving toward teen bans should examine Australia's results closely before proceeding.

What it means for marketers

Three implications.

Geographic fragmentation of youth-facing campaigns. As age rules diverge country by country, the same campaign operates under different rules in different markets. Checking per-market age policy becomes a standard step in global campaign planning.

Reach may change less than measurement. Australia's data suggests teens relocate rather than disappear. But reduced logged-in use degrades targeting precision and measurability — a combination where reach holds while measurement gets worse.

The burden of proof around influence on minors rises. In a tightening regulatory environment, evidence that something works doubles as evidence of responsibility. Research showing TikTok food content cues adolescent appetite, covered in TikTok Is Cueing Teen Appetites, functions as a marketing rationale and a regulatory exhibit at the same time.

For the litigation front on platform responsibility for youth safety, see Meta's Trial Comes Down to Two Claims.

New Zealand is following a precedent whose six-month scorecard is already published. With the bill delayed past the election, the question worth watching is whether Australia's data reaches the drafting table before the vote does.