Social media companies have yet to register with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), despite the regulator seeking their compliance in 2021.

The PTA made the disclosure in a report submitted to the Islamabad High Court.

The authority said it contacted social media companies in October 2021 and asked them to meet the requirements under Rule 7 of the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content Rules, 2021.

These requirements include registration with the PTA and the appointment of local compliance and grievance officers. However, the regulator said it has not received a positive response from the companies so far.

The PTA explained that social media services are generally provided through over-the-top (OTT) platforms and are not licensed by the telecom regulator. These platforms operate according to their own community standards and maintain mechanisms through which users and governments can report content.

The authority said the content available on social media platforms can vary between countries, making regulation more challenging.

According to the report, platforms that have not registered with the PTA do not come directly under its regulatory control. The authority said it nevertheless continues to communicate with the companies and seek their cooperation on content-related matters.

The PTA said it can receive complaints, review reports of unlawful online content and take regulatory or technical action where the law allows.

On the issue of age restrictions, the authority said the current legal framework does not provide it with a general or unrestricted power to set a minimum age for social media users or make age verification mandatory unless specific legal authority exists.