NZ Online Safety Bill
Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill
Would bar under-16s from holding accounts on age-restricted platforms, require age assurance beyond self-declared dates of birth, and require operators to conduct and report on child safety risk assessments for users under 18. Expressly brings AI companion platforms within scope.
Jurisdiction
New Zealand
Enacted
Pending
Effective
TBD
Enforcement
Secretary of Internal Affairs, acting as the online safety regulator (Department of Internal Affairs)
Government Bill 339, introduced August 24, 2026. No first reading has been held. The Leader of the House stated there is not enough parliamentary time before the House rises, and the responsible ministers have said a first reading debate is not expected before the general election. Parliament adjourns September 24, 2026 and dissolves October 1, 2026, with the general election on November 7, 2026; bills not passed by dissolution lapse and would need to be revived or reintroduced in the next Parliament. Status recorded conservatively as proposed rather than pending because the outcome turns on the election result despite the opposition having indicated support.
New Zealand Legislation (Government Bill 339, 2026)Why It Matters
One of the few proposals anywhere to write AI companion services into the operative scope of a general online safety statute, rather than regulating them through a separate companion-chatbot instrument. The definition turns on whether artificial intelligence is used solely or primarily to simulate a personal connection, which is a scope test distinct from the product-category definitions used in US state companion-chatbot laws. Not law, and unlikely to become law in the current Parliament.
Recent Developments
Introduced August 24, 2026 as part of a Government announcement on banning under-16s from social media, which stated the bill would bring emerging technologies including AI companion platforms within the regulatory framework and establish an online safety regulator within the Department of Internal Affairs. The Labour opposition indicated it would supply votes for a first reading, but the Leader of the House confirmed the bill would not be voted on before Parliament rises. A separate member's bill, the Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill (216-1, 2025), covered similar ground earlier and is not the same instrument.
At a Glance
Applies to
Harms addressed
Who Must Comply
- Operators of age-restricted platforms accessible by a person in New Zealand that display or otherwise make available digital content
- Operators of internet services that use artificial intelligence solely or primarily to simulate a social, emotional, or other personal connection with a user
Obligations fall on:
Applicability thresholds:
Safety Provisions
- Operators of age-restricted platforms must take reasonable steps to prevent people under 16 from holding accounts, with no penalties on children, parents, or caregivers
- Age assurance may not rely solely on manually entered dates of birth, formal identification documents, or a digital identity service on its own; permitted approaches include facial age estimation, age inference from account information and user behaviour, and combinations of methods
- Operators must carry out child safety risk assessments covering all users under 18 and report on how risks are identified and reduced
- Restrictions targeting design features associated with compulsive use, including recommender systems, endless feeds, feedback features, and time-limited features
- An online safety regulator sitting with the Secretary of Internal Affairs, with warnings, corrective notices, enforceable undertakings, injunctions, and civil pecuniary penalties
- Internet services that use artificial intelligence solely or primarily to simulate a social, emotional, or other personal connection with a user fall within the definition of an age-restricted platform
Exemptions
Excluded service categories
Services that solely or primarily provide certain functions are outside the age-restricted platform definition.
- • Person-to-person messaging, email, or voice/video calling
- • Video gaming
- • Music or podcast streaming
- • Product reviews and technical support
- • Professional networking
- • Education services
- • Healthcare services
AI not used to simulate personal connection
Artificial intelligence used for internal business services, customer service, or research support is outside the AI limb of the age-restricted platform definition.
- • AI is not used solely or primarily to simulate a social, emotional, or other personal connection with a user
Compliance & Enforcement
Penalties
NZD 40M or 10% revenue (whichever higher)
View on map
New Zealand
Focus Areas
Cite This
APA
New Zealand. (n.d.). Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill.
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Last updated August 30, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.