The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has told the Islamabad High Court that there is currently no specific law in Pakistan prohibiting children under 16 from using social media, arguing that the regulator cannot create an age-verification system beyond the powers granted to it by law.

The response was submitted in a case seeking restrictions on social media use by children under 16 and the introduction of stronger online-safety safeguards. The Islamabad High Court had earlier sought replies from the federal government, PTA, and other authorities on the petition.

According to PTA’s detailed reply, protecting children from online harms would require a new legal and policy framework, rather than regulatory action by PTA alone. The authority said its existing powers to block unlawful online content are limited in scope and transitional in nature.

PTA also referred to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act, 2025, under which the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority is to be established to regulate social media platforms and online content. The amended law provides for a dedicated authority with powers relating to online safety, unlawful content, and regulation of social media platforms.

The regulator said that responsibility for cybercrime investigations and action against certain forms of harmful or obscene online content now falls within the mandate of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.

PTA told the court it had reviewed more than 1.789 million online links and URLs for alleged violations and had blocked over 1.577 million, representing an overall blocking rate of about 88.20%.

According to the figures submitted by the authority, the blocking rate was 88.68% for TikTok, 87.34% for YouTube and 78.57% for Facebook. PTA said action had also been taken against 79.52% of reported Instagram links and 48.42% of links on X, formerly Twitter.

The authority further said more than 1.066 million websites and links related to obscene content had been blocked. It also reported blocking more than 203,000 links involving content deemed against Islam and over 46,000 links related to national security concerns.

PTA said technical limitations also complicate enforcement. According to its response, widespread use of HTTPS encryption can make it difficult to block individual pieces of content on some websites, leaving regulators with the option of blocking an entire website in certain cases.

The authority also said major social-media platforms are not locally registered in Pakistan and do not always operate under direct local compliance arrangements. PTA said requests for companies to appoint local compliance and grievance officers had not produced the desired response.

At the same time, the regulator said it is working with organizations including UNICEF, TikTok, Meta and GSMA on child online-safety awareness initiatives. It also cited the activation of the 1121 toll-free helpline for reports involving online abuse and exploitation of children, as well as the rollout of Instagram’s safety features for younger users in Pakistan.

The petition before the IHC seeks legislation and an effective age-verification mechanism for social-media accounts used by children under 16. The case was filed through advocates Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid Khawaja. Dawn

PTA has asked the court to dismiss the petition to the extent that it seeks relief beyond the regulator’s legal jurisdiction. The ministries of information and broadcasting and interior, along with the National Commission on the Rights of Child, have also submitted responses in the case.