The issue of social media use by children under 16 has reached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), with a petition seeking directions for legislation to regulate minors’ access to social media platforms.

The petition, filed through lawyers Jalal Haider and Yahya Fareed Khawaja, seeks an effective age-verification mechanism for social media accounts operated by children under 16.

It calls for legislation to protect children from the harmful effects of social media, cyberbullying, online harassment, and harmful content, as well as a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for their online protection.

The petition cites legislation and proposed measures in several countries as comparative examples.

It refers to Australia’s law restricting social media use by children under 16, France’s requirement for parental consent for social media accounts of children under 15, and measures for child protection under the UK’s Online Safety Act 2023.

It also cites New Zealand’s proposed legislation concerning social media use by children under 16 and Spain’s proposed legislation to restrict social media access for children below the age of 16.

The petitioner describes these measures as part of an emerging international trend towards strengthening children’s digital protection and urges the court to direct the authorities to establish effective systems for age verification, parental controls, and protection from harmful online content.