PTA says it cannot impose under-16 social media ban, cites lack of legal powers

Profit reported that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, or PTA, has informed the Islamabad High Court that it cannot legally require age checks or stop children under 16 from using social media. The regulator's detailed submission answers a petition seeking limits on underage social media use. In the PTA's view, such limits would demand powers that go beyond what the law currently gives it.

The authority also said its role in content regulation is becoming temporary after the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2025 introduced a new framework. Under that change, the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, or SMPRA, is due to take over oversight of platforms once formally notified. Until then, the PTA continues working under the earlier 2016 law on a best-efforts basis.

On enforcement, the PTA pointed out that major platforms including Facebook, Google and X run as over-the-top services without local licences or registration, so they are outside domestic conduct codes. It added that HTTPS encryption makes blocking a single link nearly impossible without shutting an entire website. According to Profit, the regulator has reviewed over 17 million links and restricted roughly 88.20% of them.