Labour's Online Safety Plan Trades Kiwi Freedoms for Government Control.
MEDIA RELEASE | 19 October 2026 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PILLAR NZ is opposing Labour's newly announced Safer Online policy, warning that its proposed restrictions would expand government control over the internet at the expense of privacy, freedom of expression and parental rights.
The package includes an under-16 social media ban, a new Digital Duty of Care, mandatory algorithm choices and an independent digital regulator.
PILLAR Executive Director Nathan Seiuli says the proposals represent the wrong approach to a legitimate problem.
"Everyone wants children protected online. But protecting children should mean empowering families and targeting genuine wrongdoing, not handing the government more control over what New Zealanders can access, say and share.
"Labour wants to ban under-16s from social media but still hasn't adequately explained how it intends to distinguish children from adults without introducing widespread age verification.
"Are ordinary Kiwis going to have to prove who they are just to access social media? What happens to that information? And why should parents lose the right to make those decisions for their own children?"
Seiuli says the proposed Digital Duty of Care and independent regulator are equally concerning.
"There's an enormous difference between illegal content and content somebody considers harmful.
"Fraud, exploitation and non-consensual sexual imagery should be dealt with firmly. But lawful speech doesn't become illegitimate simply because someone finds it offensive, controversial or uncomfortable.
"When platforms face significant penalties for failing to prevent vaguely defined harm, the incentive is obvious. Remove more content, restrict more speech and avoid regulatory consequences.
"That's not protecting freedom. That's creating the conditions for censorship."
While PILLAR supports greater individual control over algorithms and stronger enforcement against illegal online activity, Seiuli says neither requires a blanket social media ban or a new government regulator.
"We support giving New Zealanders more control over their digital lives. That's precisely why we oppose giving politicians and regulators more control over them.
"Parents need to take greater responsibility and better utilise the tools already available to them. Children need genuine protection. Illegal content must be targeted, and offenders held accountable.
"None of that requires a blank cheque for government regulation,”
Seiuli says Labour should abandon its proposed ban and regulator rather than follow the regulatory approaches being pursued in Australia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
"The real test of any online safety law is whether it protects people without undermining the rights it claims to defend.
"We reject the idea that New Zealanders must surrender their
ENDS