PTA Says It Cannot Bar Children from Social Media Without a New Law
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has told the Islamabad High Court that it has no legal power to impose social media age verification or stop children under 16 from using social media platforms.
In a report filed in Writ Petition No. 4163 of 2026, the regulator said Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, allows it to block or remove unlawful online content on specified legal grounds. The section does not, however, empower it to fix a minimum age for social media users or to introduce a universal age verification system.
Social media age verification is beyond the PTA’s powers
The PTA described itself as a statutory regulator bound to exercise only the powers conferred on it by law. It told the court that no Pakistani law currently bars under-16s from social media, and that it cannot create such a regime through an administrative order.
Introducing mandatory age verification, the authority said, would need a separate legal and regulatory framework. That framework would have to settle how ages are verified, who is responsible for checking them, how identity information is handled, what privacy safeguards apply, how platforms comply, and what audits and penalties back the system.
The regulator also pointed out that age limits adopted in countries such as Australia and European Union states rest on their own laws, and those laws cannot automatically give the PTA similar powers in Pakistan.
What the PTA says it can still do
The authority said it will keep processing public complaints, reviewing reported content, coordinating with social media platforms and taking blocking action where the existing law permits. But setting 16 as the minimum social media age, building a universal age database or making verification mandatory would require explicit legislation from Parliament.
The case behind the report
The petition was filed by Waqas Nasir and argues that minors face heightened risks of sexual exploitation, cyberbullying and harmful content as social media use spreads. It draws on Australia’s under-16 restrictions as a model and cites DataReportal figures putting Pakistan’s internet users near 117 million, with 79.9 million social media identities.
On August 31, IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar issued notices to the IT ministry, the information ministry, the interior and law ministries, the PTA and Pemra, directing them to file replies on the plea for a legal framework and an age verification mechanism.
The issue has already been to Parliament and back. In July 2025, senators tabled the Social Media (Age Restriction for Users) Bill 2025, which would have barred under-16s, required platforms to verify ages and empowered the PTA to delete underage accounts. The bill was withdrawn within weeks after stakeholders called its age limit and penalties unworkable. In January this year, a calling-attention notice pushed curbs for under-18s, and the government responded by proposing a committee.
Frequently asked questions
Can the PTA ban children from social media now?
No. The PTA has told the Islamabad High Court that no law gives it the power to set a minimum age or impose mandatory age verification, and it cannot do so by administrative order.
What law would be needed?
Fresh legislation from Parliament, or an amendment to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, defining the age limit, the verification method, responsibilities and penalties.
Which platforms would an age limit affect?
If enacted, it would cover the apps most used by young Pakistanis, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Facebook.
