Children's social media use: IHC directs ministries, PTA to submit replies

Pakistan currently has no specific legislation regulating social media access for children under 16, the Islamabad High Court was informed on Monday.

The issue came before IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar during a hearing on a petition seeking legal safeguards for children using social media platforms.

The petitioner, Waqas Nasir, requested the court to direct the government to introduce legislation and an effective age-verification system to prevent children from accessing social media without adequate safeguards.

His lawyers, Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid Khawaja, stated that children faced risks including cyberbullying, online harassment and exposure to harmful or inappropriate material.

Advocate Haider said that protecting children’s interests was a responsibility of the state and urged authorities to introduce a legal framework based on international practices. Justice Dogar asked whether the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) already had legal provisions covering children’s social media use.

The lawyer said that Pemra could take action against individuals when complaints were lodged, but there was no dedicated law governing minors’ access to social media platforms.

The court was also informed that no legislation had so far been enacted specifically for this purpose.
Justice Dogar subsequently issued notices to the ministries of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Information and Broadcasting, Interior, and Law and Justice, along with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Pemra.