A lawmaker in the Punjab Assembly has submitted a resolution seeking a nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under 16 years old without parental consent to protect minors from cyberbullying, online sexual abuse and digital addiction.
In her resolution, MPA Sarah Ahmad of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) has called on the provincial government to recommend to the federal government the need for national legislation aimed at regulating children’s access to social media platforms.
The resolution states it is the constitutional and moral responsibility of the state to protect children’s physical, mental, psychological and moral development, adding unrestricted access to social media exposes children to cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation, inappropriate content, psychological distress, digital addiction and other serious threats.
To avoid such dangers, reads the resolution, the federal government should ban children under 16 from creating or maintaining social media accounts without parental or legal guardian consent. It also calls upon the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to implement and enforce effective age-verification systems across all social media platforms operating in Pakistan to ensure compliance with the proposed restrictions.
Additionally, the resolution seeks to make social media companies responsible for complying with child protection standards by requiring them to promptly remove harmful content and provide a safer digital environment for minors.
The resolution recommends the relevant federal and provincial departments launch sustained awareness campaigns for parents, teachers and children to promote digital literacy, online safety and the responsible use of the internet. It also calls for stronger coordination between federal and provincial authorities and a comprehensive legislation aimed at enhancing the online protection of children.
There is a growing global trend seeking to restrict access to social media for children under 16. Australia, as well as the European Union, have recently moved towards imposing age-based restrictions on access to social media platforms. The U.K. has also introduced stronger age-verification requirements.