A constitutional petition filed at the Federal Constitutional Court’s Lahore Registry has sought a ban on social media access for children under the age of 16.
Advocate Supreme Court Shiraz Zaka and others filed the petition under Article 175E of the Constitution, seeking measures to protect children from the economic and moral harms of social media and objectionable content.
The petitioners asked the court to direct authorities to introduce an age-verification law to determine the age of social media users.
They also sought directions to PEMRA to impose a complete ban on objectionable content and the depiction of alcohol in television dramas and advertisements.
The petition urged the government to introduce laws on the pattern of Australia, Italy and Brazil to safeguard children’s mental and moral development.
It also highlighted that 25 million children remain out of school in Pakistan and sought measures to ensure their right to education and protection of their constitutional rights.
The petition named the federal government, Ministry of Information Technology, PEMRA and the National Cybercrime Agency as respondents.