The social media ban under 16 debate in Pakistan reached a key moment on 1 October 2026, when the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) formally told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that it simply does not have the legal power to ban children from social media or force age checks on platforms.
What PTA Actually Said in Court
The PTA has told the IHC that there is currently no law in Pakistan prohibiting children under the age of 16 from using social media. The authority submitted its detailed response in a petition seeking restrictions on social media use by children under 16 and the introduction of an effective age-verification mechanism.
In its report in Writ Petition No. 4163 of 2026, the PTA said Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 allows it to block or remove unlawful online content on specified legal grounds, but does not authorise the regulator to set a minimum age for social media users or introduce a universal age-verification system.
PTA was clear: “No law of the land exists to ban the use of social media by children.” The regulator did, however, highlight the need for a new legal and policy framework to protect children from cyber threats.
How This Case Began
A petition before the IHC seeks a nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under 16, citing increased risks of exploitation and exposure to harmful content as social media platforms expand in Pakistan. The filing asks the PTA and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to jointly develop an age-verification system, and also proposes penalties for parents who enable their children to bypass the restriction.
Pakistan has a large youth population and rapidly growing social media use. Figures cited in the petition estimate nearly 117 million internet users and approximately 79.9 million social media user identities in the country. That scale makes any child-safety gap a very real concern for millions of Pakistani families.
The Social Media Ban Under 16 Legislative Trail
This case did not come out of nowhere. In June 2025, a Senate member introduced a bill to restrict social media access for children under 16. The bill did not progress through committee and was withdrawn in August 2025. The Pakistani government is still looking to implement a lower age limit of 13 or 14 for social media access.
In September 2026, the Punjab Assembly also passed a resolution calling for restrictions on social media accounts for children under 16, subject to parental or guardian consent and reliable age verification. The Ministry of Information, Ministry of Interior and National Commission on the Rights of the Child have also submitted their responses in the case.
What Comes Next: A New Authority
PTA referred to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act 2025, under which the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority (SMPA) is to be established to regulate social media platforms and online content. The amended law provides for a dedicated authority with powers relating to online safety, unlawful content, and regulation of social media platforms.
The PTA said this new authority would also deal with complaints regarding illegal content and forgery, while action against cybercrimes and the spread of obscene content would fall within the mandate of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
In short, PTA is saying: this is too big a job for us alone. Parliament needs to act first.
PTA’s Enforcement Record So Far
The PTA’s detailed response stated that the authority had so far reviewed more than 1.789 million illegal online links and URLs, while over 1.577 million URLs had been blocked for online violations. Its overall rate of blocking online content stood at 88.20 percent.
According to PTA, 88.68 percent of reported links on TikTok, 87.34 percent on YouTube and 78.57 percent on Facebook were blocked. Action was also taken against 79.52 percent of reported Instagram links and 48.42 percent of links on X, formerly Twitter.
But blocking harmful content is very different from blocking access by age. PTA noted that widespread use of HTTPS encryption can make it difficult to block individual pieces of content on some websites, leaving regulators with the option of blocking an entire website in certain cases.
The authority also said major social-media platforms are not locally registered in Pakistan and do not always operate under direct local compliance arrangements. PTA said requests for companies to appoint local compliance and grievance officers had not produced the desired response.
How Pakistan Compares Globally
Indonesia became the first Asian country to introduce digital restrictions for children under 16 in March 2026. By early 2026, approximately 40 countries had initiated steps to restrict or ban social media use for minors. In June 2026, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to ban children under 16 from social media. Pakistan, with its massive youth demographic, is yet to pass any binding law on this front.
The petitioners in the IHC case cite Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions as a model for Pakistan. Australia passed its law in late 2024, placing the burden of compliance on platforms rather than on parents or children. Pakistan’s path, as PTA’s reply makes clear, still has a long way to go.
For now, parents are largely on their own. The PTA issued a public advisory in July 2026 urging families to take active responsibility for their children’s online safety, calling on parents to enable parental controls and age-appropriate content filters on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. But advice is not a law, and it offers little protection for children without digital-savvy guardians. You can also read about how PTA’s wider regulatory moves are reshaping Pakistan’s telecom sector for more context on where the regulator is heading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pakistan have a law banning social media for children under 16?
No. As of 1 October 2026, there is currently no law in Pakistan prohibiting children under the age of 16 from using social media. The PTA confirmed this to the Islamabad High Court in its official reply.
Why can’t PTA just enforce an age ban on its own?
PTA said it could not establish an age-verification system by exceeding the powers granted to it under existing law. Its current legal tool, Section 37 of PECA 2016, only covers blocking unlawful content, not setting age limits for platform users.
What is the SMPA and when will it be ready?
The Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority is to be established under the PECA Amendment Act 2025. It is expected to have broader powers over online safety and platform regulation, but it is not yet operational. No official launch date has been announced publicly.
What should Pakistani parents do right now?
Until a legal framework is in place, parents need to act. The PTA has called on parents to enable parental controls and age-appropriate content filters on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Most of these platforms also have built-in family supervision tools. Instagram has introduced a safety feature called “Teen Accounts” for Pakistani users, which restricts content and limits screen time by default for users under 16.
