Labour To Make It Safer For Kiwis Online

Labour will ensure Kiwis have more control over online content, while strengthening protections for our kids.

“Social media is part of everyday life. It helps us stay connected, share ideas and keep in touch with the people we care about,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said.

“But the big technology companies have too much power over our online experience. At the same time, scams are becoming more sophisticated, fake images and videos are harder to spot, and a lot of parents are worried about what their children are seeing.

“Parents shouldn’t have to take on big tech on their own.

“Labour will put basic rules in place for big technology companies, give people more control over their online experience, and strengthen protections against harmful content,” Chris Hipkins said.

Labour will:

• Ban social media for under-16s. We’ll get current legislation through its first reading and to select committee within our first 100 days, and add strong privacy safeguards on age checks.
• Give you more control of your feed. Everyone will be able to choose between an algorithm-driven feed, or posts only from accounts they follow, and be able to switch back at any time.
• Make platforms responsible for safety. We’ll introduce a new “Digital Duty of Care” law that will require platforms to identify risks and protect Kiwis from harmful content and addictive designs.
• Set up an independent online regulator with the power to fine platforms that break the rules.

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“The algorithms deciding what we see are designed to keeping us scrolling, but that’s not always what Kiwis want,” Labour science, technology and innovation spokesperson Reuben Davidson said.

“You might like your recommended feed, and that’s fine, but you should have the choice to switch to seeing only posts from people and accounts you follow.

“Labour will get legislation on the under-16 social media ban moving in our first 100 days, and we’ll make it stronger at select committee with new privacy protections too.

“We’ll join Australia in introducing a new ‘Digital Duty of Care’ law, putting the responsibility of stopping online harm – like bullying, content promoting eating disorders or self-harm, and deepfakes – more on big tech.

“And to enforce these new laws, we will establish an independent online regulator to make sure platforms meet their responsibilities.

“The internet should be a place where people can connect, learn and enjoy themselves.

“New Zealanders have seen the very real harms that occur online, the platforms have had their chance to address it, but they’ve failed to act. It's time for real action to protect young people online.

"Labour is committed to taking that immediate action” Reuben Davidson said.

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