LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution urging the federal government to introduce legislation banning children under 16 from creating or maintaining social media accounts.
Government MPA Sarah Ahmed presented the resolution, which called for stronger legal safeguards to protect children from risks associated with excessive social media use.
The resolution said the state carries responsibility for protecting children’s physical, mental, psychological and moral development. It warned that social media could expose minors to cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, inappropriate material and other harmful online content.
Furthermore, lawmakers highlighted mental stress and other problems that they said could result from excessive use of social media among children.
Assembly Calls for Effective Age Verification System
The resolution recommended that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority establish an effective age-verification mechanism for social media platforms.
The proposed system would prevent children below 16 from opening or maintaining accounts.
Moreover, lawmakers called on social media companies to take greater responsibility for harmful material and prevent inappropriate content from reaching children.
The assembly cited measures adopted in Australia, France, China and the United States while arguing that Pakistan should strengthen its own child online-safety framework.
Lawmakers Seek Nationwide Digital Awareness Campaigns
Meanwhile, the resolution urged federal and provincial institutions to launch digital awareness campaigns for parents, teachers and children.
These initiatives would focus on safe internet practices and educate families about potential social media risks.
Additionally, the assembly called for closer coordination between federal and provincial institutions to develop an effective system for protecting minors online.
The resolution does not itself impose a ban. Instead, it asks the federal government and relevant authorities to introduce legislation and regulatory measures needed to restrict social media accounts for children under 16.
