ACT pushes for inquiry into social media harm on young people, as Govt eyes ban

Monday, 12 May 2025

The ACT Party wants a public inquiry into social media harm on young people, urging against sentimentality on the issue, as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon progresses work towards legislation for an under 16s social media ban.

Luxon first proposed the idea in a member’s bill on Tuesday.

By Sunday, he said it would instead progress as a Government bill, making it a formal part of the Government’s work programme. However, this means he needs sign-off from his coalition partners - ACT and NZ First - to progress the legislation, which he would’t have needed for a member’s bill to progress.

But ACT leader David Seymour described the first bill as “ridiculously simple”, and on Monday ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar wrote to the chair of the education and workforce select committee proposing an inquiry into the issue, to “examine the practicality of introducing a ban on social media for young people and consider that against alternative solutions”.

Seymour said the harm from social media was the problem. “If you define the problem correctly as being the type of harm occurring - bullying, intrusion, grotesque images and the algorithms that are addictive - there may be other ways to battle that harm which may be more effective than passing the law which might not even work in the way it is now,” he said.

Some who had urged him to support the ban couldn’t define a social media platform, he added.

“I respect people’s passion, but I also know that allowing the softness in your heart to extend up to your head won’t actually get the job done.”

It comes as Luxon tasks Stanford, the education minister, with leading work to progress legislation for a ban.

Stanford said she would set up a ministerial advisory group of international experts.

“We will be getting some of the best brains together to help inform this policy. And I expect that will be for vehicle that helps us put in place the cabinet paper,” she said.