ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that it does not have the legal authority to prevent children under 16 from using social media platforms.
The PTA submitted its detailed reply in a case concerning a proposed ban on social media use by children under 16.
The Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Interior and the National Commission on the Rights of Child have also submitted their replies to the court.
According to the PTA, there is currently no law prohibiting children under 16 from using social media in Pakistan.
The regulator said it could not establish an age-verification system for children by exceeding its legal mandate, adding that a new legal and policy framework was required to protect children from online risks.
Social Media Protection Authority to be established
The PTA said its authority to block unlawful online content was limited and interim in nature.
It said the Social Media Protection Authority was being established under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025.
The proposed authority would deal with complaints concerning unlawful content and impersonation, the PTA told the court.
It said action against cybercrimes and the dissemination of obscene content now fell within the mandate of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
According to the PTA, it had reviewed more than 1.789 million unlawful online links and URLs and blocked over 1.577 million URLs found to be in violation of the law.
The regulator said its blocking rate stood at 88.20 per cent, with more than 1.066 million websites and links blocked over obscene content.
The PTA said HTTPS encryption made it impossible to block individual pieces of content, meaning an entire website sometimes had to be blocked.
Awareness campaigns for child safety
The PTA told the court that it had approached social media companies to appoint local compliance and grievance officers but had received no response.
It said awareness campaigns aimed at protecting children online were being conducted in collaboration with UNICEF, TikTok, Meta and the GSM Association (GSMA).
The regulator requested the court to dismiss the petition to the extent that it sought relief falling outside the PTA’s legal jurisdiction.
Countries restricting social media access for children
Several countries have introduced or considered age restrictions on social media use by children, although the minimum age, scope and enforcement mechanisms vary.
Australia has introduced a legal minimum age of 16 for accounts on covered social media platforms. The rules place responsibility on platforms rather than children or their parents, with companies potentially facing significant penalties for failing to take reasonable steps to comply.
France has also moved towards restricting social media access for younger children, while the UK has been considering measures aimed at protecting children from online harms.
The issue has gained international attention as governments grapple with concerns over children’s exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, exploitation and other online risks.
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