PTA Says It Lacks Legal Powers to Enforce Age Verification

ISLAMABAD: (Web Desk) The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that it cannot introduce an age-verification mechanism for social media users beyond the powers granted to it under existing laws.

In its reply submitted to the court on Thursday, the telecom regulator said there was currently no law in Pakistan prohibiting children from using social media. The response came during proceedings on a petition seeking regulation of social media use by children under the age of 16.

The PTA stressed the need for a new legal and policy framework to safeguard children against online threats. It also informed the court that a Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority was being established under amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

According to the regulator, responsibility for taking legal action against cybercrimes and obscene online content falls within the mandate of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

Outlining its enforcement efforts, the PTA said it had reviewed more than 1.789 million links and URLs and blocked over 1.577 million URLs associated with illegal online content and violations.

The authority further stated that social media companies had not registered in Pakistan and were not bound by local laws in the manner sought by the regulator. It added that HTTPS encryption had made it difficult to block specific pieces of content individually.

The PTA told the court that it had asked social media companies to appoint local compliance and grievance officers but had not received a positive response.

The regulator also highlighted its efforts to promote online safety through awareness campaigns conducted in collaboration with UNICEF, TikTok, Meta and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).

It added that a toll-free helpline was operational to address issues relating to the online exploitation of children. The authority also referred to the introduction of a safety feature for teenage accounts on Instagram, particularly for users in Pakistan.

The PTA requested the court to partially dismiss the petition to the extent that it sought measures beyond the regulator’s legal authority.

During an earlier hearing, the petitioner, Waqas Nasir, through his lawyers Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid Khawaja, called for an effective age-verification system for social media accounts.

The court had issued notices to the ministries of Information Technology, Information, Interior and Law, along with the PTA and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), seeking their responses.

The petitioners have asked the court to direct the relevant authorities to introduce legislation protecting children from cyberbullying, online harassment and harmful digital content.

They have also sought a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework to strengthen online safeguards for children.