A petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is seeking federal legislation to prevent children and teenagers under 16 from creating or operating social media accounts in Pakistan. The petition was filed on behalf of Waqas Nasir by lawyers Jalal Haider, Yahya Farid Khwaja and Muhammad Zeshan Ali. It cites cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and exposure to harmful content as major risks for minors.

A petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is seeking federal legislation to prevent children and teenagers under 16 from creating or operating social media accounts in Pakistan.

The petition was filed on behalf of Waqas Nasir by lawyers Jalal Haider, Yahya Farid Khwaja and Muhammad Zeshan Ali. It cites cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and exposure to harmful content as major risks for minors.

The proposal places particular emphasis on an age-verification system rather than relying only on parental controls.

Haider said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) should jointly develop a mechanism capable of identifying users under 16 and preventing them from creating or operating social media accounts.

The petition also proposes penalties for parents who allow children under 16 to bypass the restrictions and calls for social media platforms to comply with Pakistani law.

Haider said the petition relies on the legal principle of parens patriae, under which the state can act as a guardian to protect minors.

He also claimed that a large proportion of Pakistani TikTok users are under 16. However, no supporting data for that specific claim was provided. DataReportal estimates that TikTok had 79.9 million users aged 18 and above in Pakistan in late 2025.

The petition points to Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 as a precedent.

Australia requires covered social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent people under 16 from creating or keeping accounts. Importantly, Australia’s law puts the responsibility primarily on platforms rather than parents or children.

Pakistan had around 117 million internet users and 79.9 million social media user identities in late 2025, according to DataReportal. The latter figure represented 31.2% of the country’s population, although DataReportal cautions that social media identities do not necessarily represent unique individuals.

The petition seeks federal legislation so that any resulting restrictions would apply nationwide. The IHC has not yet ordered the government to introduce such a law.

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