Nothing about us without us: What our young people are saying about a social media ban | The Post

Raising the minimum age for Kiwis to access social media accounts has become a hot topic in recent days.  The issue came to the fore again with the National Party’s announcement this week that they would introduce the Online Safety Bill into parliament - a bill that, in its current form, includes banning children under 16 from social media. Among the political parties there is a split in terms of supporting this Bill, with only Labour indicating they would support National to vote it through the first reading.

While the conversation in the media has included the voices of rangatahi, a real question remains as to whether their views will be allowed to influence the political outcomes. Surely their voice is more than just soundbites?

As part of a nation-wide study, we recently gathered the opinions of over 1,500 Year 13 students across the spectrum of NZ secondary schools regarding a social media ban. While these 16-18-year-olds will not be affected by the theoretical ban, they are in the best position of all to understand the ramifications from their lived experience.

Read more in The Press, The Post, or Waikato Times.

Written by Dr Deborah Stevens and Dr John Kleinsman at the Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics.