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Read the Public Health Communication Centre submission on the Safer Online Services and Media Platforms public consultation. 

The consultation seeks feedback on proposals for a possible approach to regulate platforms that provide access to digital and traditional media content.

We outline three key points for consideration in the submission:

  • Acknowledging public health misinformation as harmful content
  • Acknowledging promotion of certain products as harmful content
  • Ensuring adequate access to platform content data for researchers

According to the summary provided by the Department of Internal Affairs:

Under the proposals, online and other media platforms would be brought into one cohesive framework with consistent safety standards. We want to make sure that platforms are safe for users, but we don’t want to over-regulate them. [...] Regulatory efforts will focus on the areas of highest risk, such as harm to children or content that promotes terrorism. Some platforms, like social media and video-sharing services, will need to make changes to their services because they’re not currently regulated in New Zealand. We also believe that education and awareness-raising are important, so further investment in programmes would be needed to help people decide what content is safe for them and understand the risks of using and sharing online content. We believe this approach will create a safer online environment without being unnecessarily difficult for platforms.

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