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In order to safeguard young users and promote online safety, Pakistan is likely to introduce a minimum age requirement to use social media.
The Social Media (Minimum Age for Users) Bill 2025 has been presented in Pakistan’s Senate, proposing a ban on social media use for children under 16.
The proposed initiative seeks to protect minors from the negative impacts, including mental health issues, exposure to harmful content, which is caused by excessive social media.
If the proposed bill is passed by the Senate members, the law will impose a ban on creating accounts on popular social media platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, the social media companies would also have to compliance according to the law and must implement a stricter verification system to block underage users.
READ: Pakistan issues list of illegal gambling, trading apps
If they fail to comply according to the age bracket, the companies would face penalties ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs5 million, while the bill also proposes penalties for individuals helping minors in bypassing restrictions, with likely imprisonment of up to six months.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been assigned as the primary enforcement body under the new law, empowered to block accounts, impose fines, and draft rules for smooth implementation.
The legislative body, which presented the bill, also argues that exposure to social media at a young age carries risks, including cyberbullying, privacy violations, and harmful digital addiction.
It is worth noting here that a 16-year-old young content creator, Talha Ahmed, Instagram account was suspended on Aug 23, for allegedly breaching its Terms of Use on eligibility.
Despite the content he creates, often carrying “positive and progressive” messages, he was slapped with an account suspension and given a 180-day countdown to appeal the decision.
However, the account was restored by the social media company after 24 hours.
