The court issued notices to the ministries of Information Technology, Information, Interior and Law, as well as the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), seeking their responses within 15 days.
The petition also calls for a regulatory framework giving parents greater control over their children’s social media use while requiring social media platforms to fulfil specific responsibilities regarding child safety.
The petition cites the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and General Comment No. 25 on children’s rights in the digital environment, adopted by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in March 2021.
It argues that children’s rights, privacy, protection and best interests must be safeguarded in the digital environment just as they are in the offline world.
The petition also refers to measures taken by Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and European countries to restrict or regulate social media access for children.
Australia passed legislation in 2024 requiring social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts on platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X. The law came into effect at the end of last year.
In the UK, most major social media platforms generally set 13 as the minimum age for users, according to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command.
Petitioners Seek Complete Ban for Under-16s
Petitioner Yahya Fareed Khawaja told BBC Urdu that their primary demand was legislation to ensure online safety for children. He said they wanted a complete ban on social media use by children under 16, with platforms required to take appropriate measures to verify users’ ages when accounts are created.
Khawaja said that if children were allowed limited access, it should be under strict supervision and a regulatory framework, particularly for educational purposes, social awareness or specific circumstances.
He also argued that Pakistan currently lacked specific legislation addressing online safety for children, including cyberbullying, blackmail and cyber harassment.
Social Media Age-Limit Bill Also Pending in Senate
The development comes after a bill titled the “Social Media (Age Limit for Users) Bill, 2025” was introduced in the Senate last year.
The bill was introduced by Pakistan Peoples Party senators Sarmad Ali and Masroor Ahsan and proposed preventing social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Bigo Live, Snapchat, YouTube and Threads, from allowing users under 16 to create accounts.
The bill also proposed heavy fines for platforms that failed to comply.
Senator Masroor Ahsan told BBC Urdu that the bill had been withdrawn after stakeholders identified certain shortcomings and that consultations were continuing. He said the revised bill was now in its final stages and would be brought before Parliament again after consultation with all stakeholders.
Ahsan said lawmakers were also considering the appropriate age limit, noting that several aspects of the issue required further examination.
He added that children’s online safety had become a major concern for parents and that the proposed legislation would require social media companies to take measures to ensure the safety of children online.
