We’re polling Free Speech Union supporters about National MP Catherine Wedd's Members' bill proposing to ban under-16s from social media and require age-verification. This takes 2–4 minutes. Responses are anonymous unless you choose to share details at the end.
A. Awareness, Starting Point & Priorities

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* 1. Had you heard about this proposed bill before today?

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* 2. In principle, do you support or oppose a law that bans under-16s from social media?

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* 3. In relation to such a bill, how important are each of the following priorities to you?

  Not important Slightly Moderate Very Essential
Protect children from harmful content
Protect privacy and data security
Protect free expression and access to information
Preserve anonymity/pseudonymity for adults
Keep compliance costs low for NZ organisations
Practical enforceability (it actually works)
B. Trade-offs & Risks

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* 4. If all social media users are required to age-verify - would you support the bill if it reduced some harms for minors?

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* 5. Which worries you more?

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* 6. What’s the bigger practical risk?

C. How to Verify - Implementation & Safeguards

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* 7. How acceptable do you find these methods for age-verification?

  Unacceptable Mostly unacceptable Mixed / depends (neutral) Mostly Acceptable Acceptable
Government ID check (licence/passport)
Third-party digital identity app
Credit-card based check (adult presence)
Biometrics/AI estimation (face/voice/behaviour)
Local device parental controls (no ID shared with platforms)
School-issued tokens or one-time attestations

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* 8. If the bill were to pass, which of these safeguards would be the most important (highest priority at the top, lowest priority at the bottom)

D. Alternatives to a Ban

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* 9. Which of these alternative approaches to the bill would you prefer? (pick one)

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* 10. How much of a priority would each of these potential alternatives be for you?

  Not worth pursuing Low priority Med priority High priority Top priority (must do)
Stronger, simpler parental controls by default on devices
Digital-literacy programmes for parents
Digital-literacy programmes for students
Targeted rules on addictive design/features
Stricter enforcement of existing platform rules
School/community partnership approaches
E. Digital ID Concerns - Slippery Slope

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* 11. How concerned are you that age-checks could lead to a de facto digital ID for everyday internet use? 0 = not at all concerned, 10 = extremely concerned

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* 12. Would you accept using a digital ID for the following?

  Yes Maybe No
Accessing government services
Banking/Kiwisaver
Buying age-restricted purchases online
Social media & online forums
News sites/blogs
Private messaging apps

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* 13. Which of these concerns about digital ID apply to you most (choose up to 3)

F. Free Speech Impact

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* 14. If implemented, this law would mostly:

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* 15. How confident are you that Parliament (via the Select Committee process) could fix your concerns about this bill?

G. Bottom Line

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* 16. If you had to vote tomorrow, which option would you choose?

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* 17. Do you have any other comments for us on this bill?

H. Additional Information

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* 18. Have you, or someone in your family/whānau experienced serious online harms as a minor?

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* 19. Have you ever been unable to access content or partake in social media because you would not supply digital ID?

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* 20. Name, Email, Region - OPTIONAL QUESTIONS

Thanks very much for participating in this supporter survey!

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