ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has taken a step toward a social media ban for children. The court issued notices to NADRA and the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority on Tuesday in a case concerning children’s safety online.
The notices were issued on an application seeking to make both institutions parties to the case. The chief justice issued the notices after the request to include the two bodies in the proceedings.
The petition asks for a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework to protect children from online risks. It seeks a ban on social media accounts for children under 16, effective age verification, and measures to ensure parental supervision of children’s online activities.
What the court has been asked to decide
The applicant has asked the court to examine whether NADRA could establish a secure and effective age verification system. That question sits at the centre of the case. A ban on under-16 accounts only works if platforms and regulators can verify who is behind a screen.
The proposed inclusion of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority is intended to address platform accountability, personal data protection, and effective complaint redressal mechanisms. The authority’s presence in the case would give the court a direct line to the body that regulates platforms in Pakistan.
The risks the petition highlights
The petition lists the risks children face online: cyberbullying, harassment, sexual exploitation, exposure to inappropriate content, and digital addiction. It calls on the state to protect children’s best interests, mental health, privacy, and dignity, with stronger safeguards for minors using social media platforms.
These are not abstract fears. Pakistani parents routinely report children encountering harassment and inappropriate content online, and regulators in several countries have begun acting on the same evidence.
The world is moving toward a social media ban for children
A social media ban for children is no longer a fringe idea. It is becoming a global policy trend, and Pakistan’s courts are now part of that conversation.
Turkiye has moved to ban social media for under-15s from November 1, and Britain has announced its own under-16 restrictions. The Islamabad case would put Pakistan alongside those countries if the court backs the petition’s framework.
The difference in Pakistan’s case is the mechanism. Instead of waiting for legislation, the petition asks the court to push regulators into action through binding orders. That could move faster than a bill through parliament, but it also raises questions about how platforms operating across borders will comply.
The age verification challenge
Every children’s social media ban runs into the same problem: verification. Children routinely sign up with false birth years, and platforms have weak incentives to check.
The petition’s answer is NADRA. If Pakistan’s national database authority can build a secure age verification system, platforms could check users against it. The court has asked NADRA to respond, which means the feasibility of that system will now be argued on the record.
Privacy advocates will watch closely. Any system that ties social media accounts to national identity records creates a database of who uses which platform. The court will need to balance protection with privacy if this framework goes ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Has the IHC banned social media for children?
Not yet. The court has issued notices to NADRA and the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority in a case that seeks a ban for children under 16. The case is still being heard.
What age limit does the petition propose?
The petition seeks a ban on social media accounts for children under 16, along with effective age verification and parental supervision measures.
Which institutions are now parties to the case?
NADRA and the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority are being brought into the case through the notices issued on Tuesday.
