A petition filed in the Islamabad High Court aims to prohibit anyone under 16 from accessing Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
The application, submitted by a coalition of child‑rights groups and cyber‑law experts, calls on the court to direct the federal government to enact legislation that would bar minors from logging into the three global platforms. Petitioners argue that the current regulatory framework is insufficient to shield young users from harmful videos, cyber‑bullying, and the unchecked harvesting of personal data by foreign tech companies. If the court grants the request, Pakistan would join a handful of nations that have introduced age‑based bans on mainstream social media.
Under the proposed rule, platforms would be required to verify the age of every user attempting to create an account, employing methods such as national ID (CNIC) linkage or biometric checks. Failure to comply could result in hefty fines or the suspension of services within the country. The move is seen as a response to a surge in incidents involving children exposed to extremist propaganda, sexual content, and online scams, which have prompted public outcry and intensified scrutiny of digital safety policies in recent years.
The government has not yet issued an official statement, but officials from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication have previously warned that unregulated social media use poses a “significant threat” to the mental health and moral development of Pakistani youth. Meanwhile, legal scholars note that enforcing an age barrier could clash with the constitution’s guarantee of freedom of expression, and they caution that any legislation must balance child protection with fundamental rights.
Internationally, the petition mirrors a growing trend where regulators in the EU, United States and several Asian countries are tightening age‑verification requirements for online platforms. Should Pakistan adopt such measures, it would set a precedent in South Asia for stringent digital safeguards, potentially influencing neighboring states to reconsider their own policies on minors’ access to social media.