A new legal battle over children’s social media use continues in Pakistan, with petition before Islamabad High Court seeking to shut under-16s out of social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. amid growing concerns over cyberbullying, harassment, blackmail and online exploitation, while lawmakers are also preparing to revive a proposed age-limit bill in Parliament.
A petition filed in the Islamabad High Court seeks legislation to bar under-16s from using social media platforms and force tech companies to strengthen safeguards for minors.
Lawyers Yahya Fareed Khawaja and Jalal Haider Malik approached the Islamabad High Court, demanding legal framework to protect children from cyberbullying, online harassment, blackmail, exploitation, harmful content and other digital threats. The petition is scheduled to be heard next month.
The petitioner demands strict age verification, greater parental control and clear legal obligations for social media companies.
Under the proposed framework, parents would have stronger oversight of their children’s online activity, while platforms would be required to take concrete steps to prevent children below 16 from accessing conventional social media services.
The court petition has also revived debate over legislation that was already introduced in Pakistan’s Senate last year. In July 2025, PPP senators Sarmad Ali and Masroor Ahsan introduced the Social Media (Age Limit for Users) Bill, 2025, proposing that platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Bigo Live, Snapchat, YouTube and Threads should not allow users under 16 to create accounts.
The proposed legislation also called for heavy fines against platforms that failed to comply. However, the bill did not become law and was subsequently withdrawn.
Senator Masroor Ahsan said the legislation could return to Parliament after consultations with stakeholders. He said the earlier version contained shortcomings and required further work, particularly over the appropriate age threshold.
Petitioner said the central demand was straightforward: Pakistan needs legislation specifically designed to protect children online. He argued that while Pakistan has laws dealing with crimes such as child marriage and sexual exploitation, stronger legal protection is needed against online dangers.
The petition invoked UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and General Comment No. 25, adopted by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in March 2021. The framework recognises that children’s fundamental rights do not disappear when they enter the digital world. Their privacy, safety, best interests and other rights must also be protected online.
The petition argues that safeguarding these rights is part of the state’s constitutional and legal responsibility.
The petition also points to international efforts to restrict children’s access to social media. Australia passed legislation in 2024 targeting social media access by under-16s, requiring platforms to take steps to prevent children below that age from maintaining accounts. The law came into force at the end of 2025.
UK also maintained minimum age requirements on major social media platforms, with many setting the threshold at 13 years.
