Christopher Luxon raises prospect of crackdown on children’s access to porn
Tuesday, 14 April 2026
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he is concerned children can access pornography online because New Zealand lacks meaningful age verification.
Part of the Government’s work on online harm could “potentially” include reviewing access to porn, he said.
The comments come after researchers spoken to by The Post sounded the alarm about there is no comprehensive, enforceable age-verification system in place to prevent access.
Many pornographic websites rely on little more than a click-through declaration.
Read More:
Meta-funded groups joined ministry process on youth mental health
One click away: Children are accessing violent porn and there’s no system to stop it
“It's harder for them to access Netflix than it is for them to access porn,” researcher Jo Robertson said.
After questions from The Post, Luxon said he was concerned.
“But if you just take a step back and think about what we’re doing, the first move has been to ban mobile phones in schools. That’s had a huge impact on reducing cyber-bullying and increasing kids’ focus and attention in the classroom.
“The second phase is very much about making sure we put in place the under-16 social media ban, following the Australian example.”
Education Minister Erica Stanford, who is leading the Government’s online harm work, said in January an announcement about a ban was “a few weeks away”.
But months later, there has still been no update.
Luxon said the legislation was still being drafted, as it was a “pretty complex piece of work”.
“We have protections for our kids in the physical world. We need them in the virtual world.”
He reiterated his commitment to introduce the bill before the election in November, although that does not mean the law would be passed before the end of the term.
The bill’s drafters are closely examining Australia’s ban, which came into force late last year.
A recent review by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner found two-thirds of under-16s with accounts on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok were still able to keep access despite the ban.
The Australian Government is now investigating Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for potential non-compliance. Penalties could be as high as A$49.5 million (NZ$59.8m).
Luxon said he was not concerned by the findings of Australia’s review.
“I freely admit it’s not going to stop 100% of cases, but we should die trying because our kids deserve it. We have protections for them, as I’ve always said, in the physical world but not in the virtual world.”
Drawing on the experience of banning phones in schools, Luxon said he knew any new rules would not be perfect, but the aim was to do the best they could with the knowledge available.
“Maybe it helps 75% of kids. And that’s good, you know, that’s a really good improvement from where we sit today.
“Our desire is to make it ubiquitous and make it hold, but let’s not waste time discussing and striving for perfection. Let’s find the common ground, get it done, get it implemented and get the benefit to as many kids as we possibly can.”