PTA says stronger safeguards for children under 16 require new legislation and a dedicated regulatory framework beyond its existing legal powers.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has told the Islamabad High Court that no specific law currently prohibits children under 16 from using social media in Pakistan, saying the regulator cannot introduce an age-verification mechanism beyond the authority granted to it by law.
The response was submitted in a petition seeking restrictions on social media use by children under 16 and stronger safeguards against online harms. The Islamabad High Court had sought replies from the federal government, PTA and other relevant authorities.
In its detailed response, PTA said protecting children from online risks would require a new legal and policy framework rather than regulatory action by the authority alone. It said its existing powers to block unlawful online content are limited in scope and transitional in nature.
PTA also referred to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, under which the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority is to be established to regulate social media platforms and online content. The amended law provides for a dedicated authority with powers related to online safety, unlawful content and regulation of social media platforms.
The regulator further said responsibility for cybercrime investigations and action against certain forms of harmful or obscene online content now falls within the mandate of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
According to figures submitted to the court, PTA reviewed more than 1.789 million online links and URLs over alleged violations and blocked more than 1.577 million, resulting in an overall blocking rate of about 88.20%.
The authority reported blocking rates of 88.68% for TikTok, 87.34% for YouTube and 78.57% for Facebook. It also said action had been taken against 79.52% of reported Instagram links and 48.42% of links on X, formerly Twitter.
PTA said more than 1.066 million websites and links related to obscene content had been blocked. It also reported blocking more than 203,000 links involving content deemed against Islam and over 46,000 links related to national security concerns.
The authority cited technical and regulatory challenges, including HTTPS encryption, which can make it difficult to block individual pieces of content on some websites. In certain cases, PTA said, this leaves regulators with the option of blocking an entire website.
PTA also said major social media platforms are not locally registered in Pakistan and do not always operate under direct local compliance arrangements. Its requests for companies to appoint local compliance and grievance officers have not produced the desired response, according to the reply.
The regulator said it is working with UNICEF, TikTok, Meta and GSMA on child online-safety awareness initiatives. It also cited the activation of the 1121 toll-free helpline for reports involving online abuse and exploitation of children and the rollout of Instagram safety features for younger users in Pakistan.
The petition seeks legislation and an effective age-verification mechanism for social media accounts used by children under 16. It was filed through advocates Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid Khawaja.
PTA has asked the court to dismiss the petition to the extent that it seeks relief beyond the regulator’s legal jurisdiction. The ministries of information and broadcasting and interior, along with the National Commission on the Rights of Child, have also submitted responses in the case.
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