Pakistan court seeks govt response on protecting minors from social media harms

Pakistan’s Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the federal government to provide details on measures to safeguard children under 16 from potential harms associated with social media use, setting a March 3 deadline for response.

The directive, issued by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, specifically asks the Ministry of Information Technology, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to submit para-wise comments.

The court also requested a progress report on plans to establish a Social Media Regulatory Authority and an update on the implementation of existing social media regulations, monitoring mechanisms, and recent amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

The order follows a petition filed by Akbar Khan Shinwari, the father of a minor, who raised concerns over unregulated social media access by children. The court emphasized the importance of clarifying the regulatory framework governing minors’ online activity, including age verification measures and mechanisms to assess usage.

In its order, the IHC highlighted that unrestricted social media access can pose serious risks to children, including mental health challenges and privacy violations. The court also underlined the constitutional responsibility to protect minors from such harms.

Shinwari’s petition noted that several countries have enacted laws to limit social media exposure for minors and urged Pakistan to implement similar protective measures to safeguard children’s wellbeing.