A constitutional petition filed by Advocate Yahya Farid Khwaja before the Islamabad High Court has brought renewed attention to the growing risks faced by children on social media and the need for a comprehensive legal framework to protect minors in Pakistan’s digital environment.
The petition seeks restrictions on the use of social media by children under the age of sixteen and calls upon the Government and relevant regulatory authorities to develop effective safeguards for children online. The case raises an increasingly important policy question: whether Pakistan’s existing laws are sufficient to protect children from the rapidly evolving risks associated with social media.
Talking to Courting The Law, Khwaja said, “Children today are growing up in an environment where education, entertainment, communication and social interaction are increasingly taking place online. While social media offers opportunities for learning and creativity, it also exposes young users to cyberbullying, harassment, grooming, exploitation, harmful content, misinformation, privacy violations and potentially addictive patterns of use”
The petition highlights the growing concern that children are particularly vulnerable to these risks because of their age, maturity and limited ability to fully understand the long-term consequences of their online activity.
The issue also carries a constitutional dimension. Khwaja said, “Articles 9, 14, 25, 25-A, 35 and 37 of the Constitution provide protections relating to life, dignity, privacy, equality, education, family and social well-being. As the digital world becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, protecting children online can no longer be treated as separate from protecting them in the physical world”
Pakistan is also a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires states to safeguard children from exploitation, abuse and harmful material while treating their best interests as a primary consideration. However, simply restricting social media access may not be sufficient. Pakistan requires a broader Child Online Safety Framework combining age restrictions with parental involvement, platform accountability, privacy protections and digital education.
Social media companies should be required to introduce effective and privacy-conscious age-verification systems rather than relying solely on users entering their date of birth. Accounts belonging to minors should have stronger privacy settings by default, while the collection and commercial use of children’s personal information should be subject to stricter controls.
Platforms should also have clear obligations to deal with harmful content, cyberbullying, grooming, impersonation, blackmail and complaints involving minors. A simple and effective reporting mechanism should be available to children and parents, with greater coordination between social media companies, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, law-enforcement agencies and child-protection institutions.
Internationally, governments are already moving towards stronger protections. Australia has adopted legislation restricting access to certain social media platforms for children under sixteen, while several other countries are developing age-assurance requirements, parental controls and greater responsibilities for technology companies.
The Islamabad High Court petition has provided an opportunity to begin that conversation. The larger responsibility now rests with the Government, regulators, educators, parents and technology companies to ensure that innovation and access do not come at the expense of children’s safety, dignity and privacy.