Islamabad (Web Desk): The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in its detailed response submitted to the Islamabad High Court, has stated that it does not have the legal authority to prevent children under 16 from using social media or to enforce mandatory age verification across all platforms.
According to the PTA, Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 only permits the blocking or removal of unlawful online content. The authority maintained that a comprehensive legal and policy framework is needed to protect children from potential risks associated with the internet.
The detailed response stated that under the PECA Amendment Act 2025, a Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority is being established, which will deal with complaints related to unlawful content and forgery. The authority to take action against cybercrime and objectionable content now falls within the jurisdiction of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
According to the PTA, more than 1.789 million unlawful online links and web addresses have so far been examined, while more than 1.577 million unlawful links have been blocked. The authority said the overall rate of online content blocking stood at 88.20 percent.
According to the data, action was taken against 88.68 percent of TikTok links, 87.34 percent of YouTube links, and 78.57 percent of Facebook links. On Instagram, 79.52 percent of links were blocked, while 48.42 percent of links on X were blocked.
The PTA said more than 1.066 million websites and links containing objectionable content had been blocked. More than 203,000 links relating to anti-Islamic content and over 46,000 links containing content against national security were also blocked.
According to the authority, most social media companies are not registered in Pakistan and are not bound by local laws, while technical barriers also exist. Due to secure communication systems, it is not possible to block individual pieces of content separately, which sometimes results in the entire website having to be blocked.
The PTA further said that social media companies had been asked to comply with local regulations in Pakistan and appoint officers to address complaints, but no response had been received so far.
According to the authority, awareness campaigns for child protection are also being conducted in collaboration with UNICEF, TikTok, Meta, and GSMA. A toll-free helpline, 1121, has been activated for complaints regarding online violence and exploitation against children, while safety features for teenage users have also been introduced on Instagram for Pakistani users.
The PTA requested the court to dismiss the petition to the extent that the relief sought falls outside the authority’s legal jurisdiction. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Interior, and National Commission on the Rights of Child have also submitted their responses to the Islamabad High Court.