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Islamabad High Court seeks responses on regulation of children’s social media use
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Culture & Society

Islamabad High Court seeks responses on regulation of children’s social media use

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The Islamabad High Court sought responses from ministries and regulators on a petition to regulate social media use by children under 16.
  • The petition seeks legislation, effective age verification, and safeguards against cyberbullying, harassment, harmful content, and threats to children’s privacy and safety.
  • The court issued notices to six government bodies and directed the law officer to ensure they are implemented.

The Islamabad High Court has asked Pakistan’s ministries and regulators to respond to a petition seeking tighter controls on social media access for children under 16.

Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar issued notices to the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Law and Justice. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority also received notices and must submit replies within 15 days.

The petition, filed by Waqas Nasir through lawyers Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid Khawaja, calls for legislation and an effective age-verification system for children’s social media accounts. During the hearing, Haider said children needed protection from cyberbullying, online harassment, and harmful or inappropriate content.

Haider argued that protecting children’s best interests is “a constitutional and legal responsibility of the state.” He also said Pemra can act against individuals following complaints, but no specific law currently regulates children’s access to social media.

The petition asks the government to create a broad framework covering children’s digital rights, privacy, and mental and physical safety. It also seeks specific duties for social media platforms to protect minors. The court directed the law officer to ensure that the notices are implemented.

A constitutional and legal responsibility of the state.

— Muhammad Jalal HaiderHe used the phrase to argue that the government must legislate to protect children online.
About this summary

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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