ACT leader David Seymour said National's proposal was "simple, neat, and wrong". Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER
The ACT Party has dismissed National's proposal to ban children under 16 from social media, calling it hastily-drafted, simplistic and unworkable.
ACT's opposition has prevented Prime Minister Christopher Luxon from pushing ahead with a government bill to follow Australia's lead in a social media crackdown.
Instead, National has put a member's bill into Parliament's ballot and is now seeking support from parties outside of government to try to get it over the line.
Speaking at Parliament, ACT leader David Seymour said National's proposal was "simple, neat, and wrong".
"Just slapping on a ban - hastily-drafted - won't solve the real problem. The real problem has to involve parents. This solution proposed by National doesn't."
Seymour said he was "really worried" about social media's effects on children but believed National member's bill ignored the "complexities of the internet".
"This is a serious issue. It's really messing with kids' brains. You read Jonathan Haidt, you read Johann Hari, you understand the problems that we're facing.
"You talk to any teacher, they'll tell you the solution can't be this simple - and this simplistic solution won't work."
Seymour instead stumped for a "quality public inquiry" before select committee, involving parents, educational psychologists and social media companies.
"[We should] learn from the Australian mistakes, instead of making the mistakes with them," Seymour said.
"If dealing with social media harm is worth doing, it's worth doing right."
Addressing reporters, Luxon brushed off ACT's opposition and said he was keen to sound out other party leaders: "We've got a strong members bill from the National Party. It gives us a good foundation."
Labour offers cautious support, NZ First enthusiastic, Greens more sceptical
Labour leader Chris Hipkins earlier told reporters he was "broadly supportive" of a ban and up for a wider discussion.
"This is a conversation we need to have as a country. The Australians have been courageous and tackled it. I think New Zealand needs to do the same."
Hipkins acknowledged, however, there would be logistical challenges to work through.
"What should the appropriate limits be? Where should we draw the line? If you look at Australia, one of the debates they're having is... whether YouTube should be included for example.
"If you look at games that kids are playing - on things like Roblox - that can be just as risky as what's happen on social media. That's why we have to have a conversation about it."
Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said she had yet to see the full details of National's plan but described it as simplistic on the face of it.
She said she would prefer a cross-party discussion about the broader issue of social media and its effect on not just children, but older people too.
"It's really critical that we have this conversation in that broader context and with that evidence base, so we're not just having these knee-jerk moral panics around young people and their phones."
NZ First leader Winston Peters said the proposal was worth further investigation and should be a government bill: "it's got all the hallmarks of being very necessary."
Asked about ACT's opposition, Peters said the question fell on the whole of Parliament: "That's how things work in a democracy. It's not just about the coalition. It's about whether enough parties in Parliament have the clarity and clear-eyed sense of what's needed right now."
Netsafe says blanket ban 'too simplistic'
Internet safety organisation Netsafe told RNZ the issue was "really nuanced and complex" and demanded a multi-faceted response.
Netsafe chief executive Brent Carey said a blanket ban would not necessarily change children's behaviour or protect them from harmful content.
"We just think it's too simplistic. We need to be talking to young people, aged 13 and above, about what's happening for them in different online spaces and places.
"I mean, what even is social media nowadays? People are gaming. They're engaging with the internet at school. We would rather have a broader conversation about what 'good' looks like in all those different spaces."
Carey also floated the idea of select committee inquiry to dig into the problem and consider how how other countries were tackling it.
"We should definitely be watching what they're doing [in Australia] and see, you know, what are the intended and unintended consequences?
"We need to also not just be looking at the one solution. We need to actually do a proper review of the ecosystem."
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