ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has been approached with a petition seeking legislation to regulate social media use by children under the age of 16 and strengthen safeguards for their online safety.
The petition was filed through High Court lawyers Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid Khawaja, seeking effective age-verification mechanisms for social media accounts operated by children below 16.
The petition calls for legislation to protect children from the harmful effects of social media, including cyberbullying, online harassment and exposure to harmful or inappropriate content. It also seeks the creation of a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for children’s online protection.
The petition cited legislation and proposed measures in several countries as comparative examples. It referred to Australia’s restrictions on social media accounts for children under 16, France’s requirement for parental consent for children below 15, and child-safety measures under the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act 2023.
It also cited proposed legislation in New Zealand concerning social media use by children under 16 and proposed restrictions in Spain for children below the same age. Measures adopted or proposed in various European countries for age verification were presented as examples of an emerging international approach to protecting children in the digital environment.
The petition further called for effective systems covering age verification, parental controls and protection from harmful online content, while seeking specific responsibilities for social media platforms to safeguard children.
As part of its legal basis, the petition invoked the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and General Comment No. 25, arguing that protecting the best interests of children is a constitutional and legal responsibility of the state.
It also sought a comprehensive policy to protect children’s digital rights, privacy, and mental and physical well-being.
The Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Law, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) have been named as respondents in the petition.
The petition seeks the establishment of a dedicated social media protection and regulatory mechanism for children and urges the federal government to introduce appropriate legislation to regulate social media use by those under 16.
It argues that countries around the world are increasingly making children’s access to social media subject to age limits and protective measures, and calls for similar effective legislation and safeguards in Pakistan.
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