Taking a major step towards safety of children, a resolution has been tabeled in the Punjab Assembly calling for a ban on social media usage by children under the age of 16.
The resolution has been tabled by MPA Sarah Ahmad, who is also the chairperson of Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau.
Under the proposal, children under the age of 16 to be banned from accessing social media platforms, marking a significant move toward strengthening online child protection in the province. The proposal reflects growing concerns about the impact of social media on children’s safety and mental health.
The federal government and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) have been urged to develop a comprehensive regulatory and monitoring framework that can effectively enforce age restrictions on social media use. Age verification system will be aimed at preventing children younger than 16 from creating or operating social media accounts.
Sarah Ahmed has stressed the urgency of this initiative. She stated that every child deserves both a secure childhood and a safe future.
Sarah Ahmed further explained that children face multiple online threats, including cyberbullying, digital exploitation, and exposure to inappropriate content, and in such cases legal safeguards are necessary to reduce these risks to create a healthier online environment for minors.
Moreover, several countries like Australia, France, China, and a number of US states, have already introduced age restrictions on social media usage. In these countries, governments have enacted legislation or regulations designed to limit access of minors to social media platforms and improve online safety.
On the other hand, previously, in the UK, children under the age of 16 were banned from using social media. This new development was announced by United Kingdoms (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
He said that such social media platforms are making youngsters unhappy.
The change was welcomed by the charities for some children. This development might also lead to a major fight with big US tech giants.
Starmer on the ban said that the social media sites were filled with content that is dangerous for children and was intentionally designed to be addictive.
Read more: Under-16s face social media ban in UK
