Islamabad: MNN
The Islamabad High Court heard a case concerning the protection of children from potential harms and online risks associated with social media. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and several federal institutions submitted their replies before the court.
In its response, the PTA highlighted legal and technical challenges in effectively regulating social media. According to the authority, there is currently no comprehensive system for mandatory age verification for children under 16, while the PTA also maintains that it does not have the legal authority to enforce mandatory age verification.
The PTA further stated that modern encryption makes it difficult to effectively monitor and block specific social media content. The authority acknowledged the need for measures to protect children on social media platforms but pointed to legal and technical challenges in implementing such measures.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Interior and National Commission on the Rights of Child also submitted their respective replies before the Islamabad High Court.
The court granted 20 days to the remaining respondents, including PEMRA, to submit their replies. During the hearing, the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court remarked that the matter concerns the welfare of minor children and that there would be no room for delay in the case.
The Chief Justice directed the law officers to ensure that the remaining respondents submit their replies at the earliest.
The court sought timely responses from all relevant institutions regarding measures to protect children from online risks and directed the concerned authorities to proceed with seriousness and urgency.
Counsel for the petitioner, Muhammad Jalal Haider Advocate and Yahya Fareed Advocate, appeared before the court and presented the issue of children’s online protection.
The Islamabad High Court will consider the replies submitted by the federal institutions and the legal and administrative measures concerning the protection of children on social media in the further proceedings of the case.
