PTA Tells Islamabad High Court It Lacks Authority to Restrict Social Media Use by Children

ISLAMABADضThe Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has informed the Islamabad High Court that it does not have the legal authority to prevent children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms.
According to the PTA, it also lacks the legal power to enforce mandatory age verification across all social media platforms.
The authority told the Islamabad High Court that Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 only empowers it to block or remove unlawful online content.
The PTA’s statement highlights that the existing legal framework does not specifically authorize the regulator to impose a blanket restriction on social media access for children under 16 or require all platforms to implement mandatory age verification.