The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution seeking restrictions on social media access for children under 16 to ensure their safety online.
Moved by Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau Chairperson and MPA Sarah Ahmed, the resolution calls for effective legislation at the federal level to protect children under 16 and safeguard their digital future. It recommends measures to protect children from cyber harassment, online sexual exploitation and inappropriate content and calls for implementing an effective age-verification mechanism to identify underage users.
The resolution also seeks compliance from social media companies on child protection standards and recommends establishing a coordinated mechanism of federal and provincial institutions to ensure the protection of children online.
Speaking in the House, Ahmed said every child should have a safe childhood and a secure digital future, maintaining child protection and a safe digital environment were among the Punjab government’s priorities. She said the state has a fundamental responsibility to protect the best interests of children and an effective regulatory framework is essential to ensure their online safety. Inappropriate content on social media is exposing children to mental stress and other risks, it added.
The MPA notes that several countries, including China, the United Arab Emirates and Türkiye, had instituted measures aimed at curtailing or barring access to social media for young people while several others were planning the same.
Pakistan faces an uphill battle in enforcing any mechanisms, however, as it has no significant social media offices in the country. Several social media companies have also opposed restrictions abroad by maintaining they already have measures to bar children from accessing their services, including requiring new users to confirm they are over 13 before they can sign up.