The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority have been drawn into a court case seeking stronger protections for children using social media in Pakistan.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to both institutions after an application requested their inclusion in an ongoing constitutional petition filed by Waqas Nasir.

Advocates Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Fareed Khawaja represented the petitioner. The IHC chief justice issued the notices following the application.

The petition calls for a comprehensive legal framework to protect children from online harm. Its proposals include banning social media accounts for children under 16, introducing effective age verification and strengthening parental supervision of children’s online activities.

It also asks the court to examine whether NADRA could develop a secure system to verify users’ ages.

The proposed involvement of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority is aimed at addressing the responsibility of social media platforms, protecting users’ personal data and improving complaint-handling mechanisms.

The petition highlights several risks children face online, including cyberbullying, harassment, sexual exploitation, exposure to inappropriate content and digital addiction.

It argues that stronger safeguards are needed to protect children’s mental health, privacy, dignity and overall well-being while using social media platforms. The case seeks measures that put children’s best interests at the center of online safety policies.