FCC asked to restrict social media access for children under 16

The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has been approached with a petition seeking restrictions on social media use by children below the age of 16 with the petitioners arguing that stronger government measures are needed to protect minors from online abuse, harmful content, cyberbullying and excessive screen use.

LAHORE: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has been approached with a petition seeking restrictions on social media use by children below the age of 16 with the petitioners arguing that stronger government measures are needed to protect minors from online abuse, harmful content, cyberbullying and excessive screen use.

The petition was submitted at the FCC Lahore registry and names the Federation of Pakistan Ministry of Information Technology Ministry of Law National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Social Media Protection Regulatory Authority as respondents.

The petitioners, who include advocates practising before the Supreme Court and High Court, have asked the court to introduce a minimum age of 16 for social media platforms through an amendment to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.

They have also called for an age-verification mechanism that protects users’ privacy and does not result in unnecessary collection of children’s personal information.

Another request concerns television programming. The petition seeks stronger implementation of Pemra’s code of conduct, particularly regarding content broadcast during hours when children are likely to be watching television.

The petition further asks authorities to work with social media platforms to provide parental controls in Urdu and establish faster procedures for reporting and removing harmful material involving minors.

The petitioners have also connected child online safety with education highlighting the large number of children who remain out of school in Pakistan. They argue that children without regular educational and supervised activities may face greater exposure to uncontrolled online content.

The petition relies on constitutional provisions concerning life, dignity, equality, education and protection of the family as well as Pakistan’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The applicants argue that existing age restrictions on major platforms are difficult to enforce because users can provide false dates of birth. They also point to concerns about cyberbullying, online grooming, sexualised material, excessive screen time and the possible impact of algorithm-driven content on children’s mental wellbeing.

The proposed restrictions have received mixed reactions from parents, educators, technology experts and child-rights advocates. Some parents support stronger controls while technology and legal experts have raised concerns about privacy enforcement and the possibility of children bypassing restrictions through VPNs or other methods.

Child-rights groups have also warned that an absolute ban could limit young people’s access to information and communication. They have instead called for stronger platform accountability, digital education and age-appropriate safeguards.

The petition comes shortly after the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution supporting restrictions on social media access for children under 16 and calling for stronger age-verification measures.

The FCC has issued notices to the respondents. Future proceedings are expected to examine whether PECA requires amendment how age verification can be implemented without compromising privacy and what regulatory measures should apply to content accessible to children.

The case could become an important legal test of how Pakistan balances child protection, privacy and freedom of expression in the rapidly expanding digital environment.