Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued notices to the Ministries of Information Technology, Information, Interior and Law and Justice on a petition seeking legislation to regulate social media use by children under the age of 16.
The court also sought replies from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).
Chief Justice Islamabad High Court, Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar heard the petition filed by citizen Waqas Nasir. The petitioner’s counsel, Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Fareed Khawaja, appeared before the court.
The petition sought the introduction of an effective age-verification mechanism for social media accounts of children under age of 16 and legislation to protect minors from the harmful effects of social media.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that legislation introduced in various countries represented an emerging international trend towards protecting children in the digital environment. He maintained that safeguarding the best interests of children was a constitutional and legal responsibility of the state. The court inquired whether PEMRA had any law specifically dealing with the issue.
The counsel replied that no specific legislation had so far been enacted in this regard, adding that PEMRA had legal powers to take action on complaints against individuals or entities.
After hearing the initial arguments, the court issued notices to the respondents and sought their replies.
