Petition submitted to court to legislate on social media use by children under 16

After many countries around the world banned the use of social media by minors, a discussion on this issue has started in Pakistan as well. A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court in this regard.

The plaintiff’s lawyer told reporters that the petition has demanded that the court regulate the use of social media by children under the age of 16 and make a law on it.

The petition also says that a system should be introduced to verify the age of children. The position has been taken that children are being subjected to cyberbullying, online harassment and harmful content, so the state should develop a complete legal and regulatory framework.

In addition, it has been demanded to formulate a policy related to the digital rights, privacy and mental and physical safety of children and to impose responsibilities on social media companies.

The petition was filed by a citizen Waqas Nasir through his lawyers Jalal Haider, Yahya Farid Khawaja and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali.

Several countries around the world have already taken steps in this direction. Some have already implemented bans, while others are in the process of legislating.

Australia imposed a complete ban on children under 16 in December 2025. Malaysia imposed a ban on the same age under the Online Safety Act between January and June 2026.

Indonesia closed accounts for those under 16 in March 2026. Brazil made it mandatory to link these accounts to a guardian in March 2026.

France passed a law banning children under 15 in July 2026. Portugal made parental consent mandatory for users aged 13 to 16 in February 2026.

Similar laws with an age limit of 13 to 16 are also under development in the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Slovenia, New Zealand, Spain, Austria and the European Union, which are scheduled to be completed in various stages during 2026.