Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices to multiple federal ministries and regulatory authorities on a constitutional petition seeking legislation to regulate social media use by children under the age of 16. The petition, filed under Article 199 of the Constitution by citizen Waqas Nasir through lawyers Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid Khwaja, was heard by IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar. It calls for the introduction of an effective age verification mechanism for social media accounts operated by children below 16 years of age and requests a legal framework aimed at protecting minors from potential risks associated with online platforms. During the hearing, the court directed the concerned authorities to submit their responses before the next hearing.
The notices were issued to Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Ministry of Human Rights, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), National Commission on the Rights of Child and National Commission for Human Rights. According to the petition, excessive and unsupervised social media use may expose children to cyberbullying, online harassment, grooming, exploitation, violent or sexually explicit content, misinformation, addictive usage patterns, privacy violations, financial scams and other harmful online activities. The petitioner requested the court to direct the relevant authorities to establish a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework to strengthen protections for children in the digital environment.
During the proceedings, Advocate Muhammad Jalal Haider informed the court that several countries had already introduced age restrictions and safeguards for children using social media platforms. He cited Australia and France as examples, stating that they had implemented measures restricting social media access for children under the ages of 16 and 15 respectively. The counsel argued that online safety for minors had become an important public concern across the world and that Pakistan should also consider introducing relevant legislation. The petition further referred to scientific research and government studies linking excessive social media use among minors with increased risks of anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation, self harm, addiction, exposure to harmful content and negative effects on cognitive and emotional development. It maintained that safeguarding the best interests of children is a constitutional and legal responsibility of the state.
Justice Sarfraz Dogar also asked the petitioner’s counsel whether PEMRA had any existing legal provisions addressing the issue. In response, Advocate Haider stated that while PEMRA has authority under existing laws to act on complaints, there is currently no specific legislation regulating social media use by children under the age of 16. Following the arguments, IHC directed all respondents to submit their replies at the next hearing and instructed the law officer to ensure implementation of the notices issued by the court. The proceedings mark the beginning of judicial consideration of whether additional legal measures should be introduced to strengthen online safety protections for children in Pakistan.
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