Punjab Assembly passes resolution to restrict social media access for children under 16

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution seeking an effective legal ban on social media accounts for children under 16 years of age. The resolution was submitted to the Punjab Assembly in July by the chairperson of the Child Protection Bureau, Sarah Ahmad. It called for effective legislation and a coordinated mechanism between federal and provincial institutions to protect minors from the growing dangers of social media. The resolution noted that social media use was exposing children to cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation, inappropriate content, mental stress and other serious risks. It referred to measures introduced in Australia, France, China and several states of the United States to regulate social media use by underage children, and urged the government to introduce similar effective legal safeguards in Pakistan. The proposal comes at a time when governments around the world are considering stricter regulation of children’s use of social media amid mounting evidence linking excessive online activity with mental health issues, cyber abuse and exposure to harmful content. Several countries, including Australia, besides the EU have recently moved towards imposing age-based restrictions on access to social media platforms, while others are examining stronger age-verification requirements and enhanced child online safety laws. If adopted by the Punjab Assembly, the resolution will serve as a recommendation to the federal government, which has legislative authority over telecommunications, internet regulation and digital platforms. Meanwhile, the House also adopted a resolution seeking equal religious education facilities and examination opportunities for prisoners belonging to minority communities. The resolution, moved by Treasury member Raheela Khadim and adopted by majority vote, pointed out that under Rule 215 of the Punjab Prison Rules, 1978, prisoners could receive remission in their sentences for acquiring religious education in accordance with the law. According to official data cited, 2,558 Muslim prisoners benefited from the facility after obtaining religious education between 2020 and 2025. The resolution stressed the need for effective implementation of a similar system for minority prisoners. It demanded that Christian, Hindu, Sikh and prisoners belonging to other minority faiths should be given equal opportunities to study their respective religious curricula, appear in examinations and receive sentence remission upon successfully completing religious education, as provided under the law.

Calls for effective legislation and age verification to protect children from online harms