Internet & Online Safety - New Zealand

The Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 targets serious emotional distress from digital communications via 10 communication principles, civil District Court orders, and criminal offences (e.g. causing harm by posting). Netsafe is the statutory Approved Agency that must receive and triage complaints before court action.

Since the February 2022 amendments to the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993, the Chief Censor can issue urgent interim classifications and DIA can serve take-down notices requiring online content hosts to remove or block 'objectionable' content (e.g. child sexual exploitation, terrorist content) within 24 hours.

New Zealand has no in-force DSA/UK-OSA-style law imposing systemic duties of care or general platform-safety obligations. DIA's 'Safer Online Services and Media Platforms' review (2021–2024), which proposed an industry codes/regulator model, was closed in 2024 as not a government priority.

The Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill (member's bill, 2025) would require platforms to take reasonable steps to keep under-16s off, backed by age-verification duties and penalties up to NZ$2m. Work on the bill was confirmed paused in mid-May 2026 pending wider government policy.

The Education and Workforce Committee's interim report (10 December 2025) preliminarily backed an under-16 social media ban, a single national online-safety regulator, increased platform liability and algorithm-transparency rules. The recommendations are non-binding and drew an ACT Party dissent.

There is currently no general statutory age-verification or intermediary-liability framework for social platforms; liability operates only through specific instruments (HDCA harm orders, FVPCA take-down notices). Age-assurance obligations remain proposed rather than in force.