The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has told the Islamabad High Court that it does not have the legal power to stop children under 16 from using social media.

In a report filed in Writ Petition No. 4163 of 2026, the regulator said Section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, allows it to block or remove unlawful online content on specified legal grounds. However, the law does not give the PTA authority to set a minimum age for social media users.

The PTA also said it cannot require all social media platforms in Pakistan to implement mandatory age verification without specific legal backing.

According to the regulator, a nationwide age-verification system would involve rules covering how users’ ages are verified, who would be responsible for verification, how identity information would be stored, privacy safeguards, platform compliance, regulatory checks and penalties.

The PTA said these requirements would need to be established through a dedicated legal and regulatory framework rather than an administrative order.

The regulator also pointed to age restrictions introduced in Australia and the European Union, saying those measures operate under the laws of their respective jurisdictions and do not automatically give the PTA similar powers in Pakistan.

The PTA said it can continue to receive complaints, review reported content, coordinate with social media companies and take blocking measures where it has legal authority to do so.

However, introducing a minimum social media age of 16, creating a nationwide database of users’ ages or imposing mandatory age verification on platforms would require explicit statutory authority, the PTA told the court.