Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa
January 2026
In our latest nationally representative survey, adults were asked directly about their experiences with extreme or potentially illegal content online. The results underline the importance of clear guidance about the law and practical ways to keep yourself, your whānau and your community safe online.
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Key findings
- Most New Zealanders are aware that some content is illegal, but many are unsure about what might cross the legal line: 55% feel they have a limited understanding, and 4% feel highly informed.
- Seeing extreme or illegal content is common: 66% report they have seen this type of material at some point; 38% had seen three or more categories, and 19% had seen five or more.
- Exposure is often unintentional, and actively looking for this content is rare: among those who had seen this content in the last 12 months, around half saw it on a website when they weren’t looking for it (48%) or in their social media feed (47%); only 4% actively searched for it.
- Some experience significant harm: of those exposed in the past year, 27% reported harm, and 44% of those affected described the impact as very or extremely harmful (around 11% of New Zealanders experiencing some harm; 5% serious harm).
- Many think it’s hard to avoid and a growing problem: 49% agree it’s impossible to avoid, and 78% think exposure will increase over time.
- Most people take steps to avoid it, but few report to official agencies: 74% took at least one action to avoid future exposure; 7% reported to Netsafe and 1% to Police (and 1% to other government agencies).
Method at a glance
Survey partner: Ipsos New Zealand (survey design, fieldwork and weighting)
Fieldwork: November 2024
Sample: n=1,000 adults (18+) in Aotearoa New Zealand (nationally representative)
More detail: See methodology in the full report and the supplementary technical note.
Copyright and license
Copyright © 2026 Classification Office - Te Mana Whakaatu.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. In essence, you are free to copy, distribute and adapt the work, as long as you attribute the work to Classification Office - Te Mana Whakaatu and abide by other license terms. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.
Cite as
Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu. (2026). Online exposure: Experiences of extreme or illegal content in Aotearoa. Wellington, NZ: Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18344996
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Other citation styles
APA
Te Mana Whakaatu - Classification Office. (2026). Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa (Version 1). Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18344996
MLA
Te Mana Whakaatu - Classification Office. Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa. 1, Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu, 27 Jan. 2026, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18344996.
Chicago
Te Mana Whakaatu - Classification Office. ‘Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa’. Wellington, New Zealand: Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu, 27 January 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18344996
New Zealand Law Style Guide
Te Mana Whakaatu - Classification Office Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa (27 January 2026).
Harvard
Te Mana Whakaatu - Classification Office (2026) ‘Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa’. Wellington, New Zealand: Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.18344996
Vancouver
Te Mana Whakaatu - Classification Office. Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa. Wellington, New Zealand: Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu; 2026.
IEEE
Te Mana Whakaatu - Classification Office, ‘Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa’. Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu, Wellington, New Zealand, Jan. 27, 2026. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.18344996
OSCOLA
Te Mana Whakaatu - Classification Office, ‘Online Exposure: Experiences of Extreme or Illegal Content in Aotearoa’ (January 2026) <https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/resources/research/online-exposure-experiences-of-extreme-or-illegal-content-in-aotearoa/> accessed 27 January 2026.
Bibliographic information
Abstract (Summary)
This report presents findings from a nationally representative survey of adults in Aotearoa New Zealand about exposure to extreme or potentially illegal content online. It explores what people report seeing, how they understand the legal threshold, and what they do (or don’t do) when they encounter concerning content. The report is intended to support clearer public understanding of objectionable content under New Zealand law, and to inform practical guidance for reporting and harm reduction.
Publisher
Publisher: Classification Office – Te Mana Whakaatu
Place: Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
ISBN: 978-0-473-77608-4 (PDF)
Publication date: January 2026
Resource type: Report
Keywords
online safety; illegal online content; objectionable content; Classification Act; Aotearoa New Zealand; exposure to harmful content; extreme violence; violent extremist material; child sexual exploitation material; reporting illegal content; social media harm; content moderation; media regulation