Sean Lyons: Netsafe Chief Online Safety Officer on the rise in targeted online hate speech

Sean Lyons: Netsafe Chief Online Safety Officer on the rise in targeted online hate speech

Author: Newstalk ZB January 16, 2026 Duration: 2:27

Online hate speech in New Zealand is becoming more targeted and our system can't keep pace. 

Netsafe's latest survey shows since 2018, the proportion of ethnicity-based hate speech has risen from 18% to 36%, becoming the most common reason people are targeted. 

Political-based hate has also increased to 25%. 

Netsafe Chief Online Safety Officer Sean Lyons told Andrew Dickens regulation is a really important part of dealing with it. 

He says that when people clearly understand where the laws sit and there’s a framework to deal with that harmful content, then the platforms can better deal with it. 

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