{
  "id": 2991966,
  "title": "IHC Petition Seeks Social Media Ban for Under-16s in Pakistan",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/ihc-petition-seeks-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-in-pakistan",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-24T09:54:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ProPakistani",
    "slug": "propakistani",
    "url": "https://propakistani.pk/2026/08/24/ihc-petition-seeks-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-in-pakistan/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A petition has been lodged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in Pakistan, advocating for federal legislation to prohibit children and teenagers under the age of 16 from creating or operating social media accounts within the country. This legal action was taken on behalf of Waqas Nasir by the legal team comprising Jalal Haider, Yahya Farid Khwaja, and Muhammad Zeshan Ali. The petition underscores the significant risks minors face via cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, and exposure to unsuitable content. The proposal strongly advocates for an age verification system, rather than solely relying on parental controls. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) are proposed to work together to devise a system capable of recognizing users under 16 and preventing them from establishing or managing social media accounts. A further aspect of the petition includes imposing penalties on parents who allow children under 16 to circumnavigate these restrictions and calls for social media platforms to adhere to Pakistani legislation. The legal team draws upon the legal concept of parens patriae, which enables the state to assume the role of a guardian to safeguard minors. The petition also points out that a substantial number of Pakistani TikTok users are under 16, although no corroborating data for this specific statement was provided. However, data from DataReportal estimates that TikTok had 79.9 million users aged 18 and above in Pakistan at the end of 2025. According to the same source, TikTok accounted for 79.9 million user identities in Pakistan by the end of 2025, representing 31.2% of the country's total population. The petition cites Australia's Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 as a model for legislation. This Australian law mandates covered social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent individuals under 16 from creating or maintaining accounts. Importantly, Australia places the primary responsibility on platforms rather than parents or the children themselves. Pakistan currently boasts around 117 million internet users and 79.9 million social media user identities as of late 2025, according to DataReportal. While the latter figure does not necessarily correspond to unique individuals, the petition advocates for federal legislation to ensure that any resulting restrictions would apply nationwide. As of now, the IHC has not ordered the government to enact such a law.",
  "summary": "A petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is seeking federal legislation to prevent children and teenagers under 16 … Read More The post IHC Petition Seeks Social Media Ban for Under-16s in Pakistan appeared first on ProPakistani .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}