The Islamabad High Court is considering a petition seeking restrictions on social media use for children under 16, highlighting the growing digital risks faced by Pakistani minors. Lawyer Yahya Farid Khwaja, who filed the petition, argues that existing laws may not adequately protect children from cyberbullying, grooming, harmful content, and privacy violations.
Constitutional Protections and International Obligations
Khwaja points to several Pakistani constitutional articles, including those related to life, dignity, privacy, and children’s rights, which he believes should extend to the digital world. Specifically, he cites Articles 9, 14, 25, 25-A, 35 and 37 of the Constitution as providing protections relating to life, dignity, privacy, equality, education, family and social well-being. Pakistan is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which mandates safeguards against online exploitation and harmful material while treating children’s best interests as a primary consideration.
A Full Approach to Child Online Safety
Restricting access alone may not be enough. Khwaja calls for a broader Child Online Safety Framework, combining age restrictions with parental involvement, platform accountability, and digital education. Age-verification systems should be effective and privacy-conscious rather than relying solely on users entering their date of birth. Accounts belonging to minors should have stronger privacy settings by default, while the collection and commercial use of children’s personal information should be subject to stricter controls.
Platforms should also address harmful content, cyberbullying, grooming, impersonation, blackmail and complaints involving minors. A simple reporting mechanism involving companies, law enforcement, and child-protection institutions is also key. Greater coordination between social media companies, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, law-enforcement agencies and child-protection institutions would strengthen these efforts.
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Internationally, countries like Australia are implementing restrictions, and others are developing age-assurance requirements and parental controls. The Islamabad High Court petition has sparked a conversation that now involves the government, regulators, educators, parents, and technology companies, aiming to balance innovation with children’s safety and privacy.
According to the petition, children today handle an online world that intertwines education, entertainment, communication, and social interaction. However, this environment also exposes them to significant risks, including cyberbullying, harassment, grooming, exploitation, harmful content, misinformation, and potentially addictive patterns of use.
Khwaja argues that Pakistani children may be particularly vulnerable due to their age, maturity level, and limited understanding of long-term online consequences. He believes that protecting children online is no longer distinct from protecting them in the physical world, given the digital world’s integration into everyday life. The larger responsibility now rests with the Government, regulators, educators, parents and technology companies to ensure that innovation and access do not come at the expense of children’s safety, dignity and privacy.
