Bill lands in Senate to ban social media use by minors

ISLAMABAD: A bill aimed at regulating underage access to social media — titled the Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill, 2025 — was introduced in the Senate on Monday and referred to the relevant standing committee for review and recommendations.

PPP Senators Syed Masroor Ahsan and Sarmad Ali introduced the proposed legislation in the House, under which it has been proposed to ban the creation of social media accounts by persons under the age of 16.

According to the bill, persons under the age of 16 will be banned from creating social media accounts, and social media companies will be legally responsible for blocking the accounts of minor users.

Similarly, the bill states that a fine ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs5 million can be imposed on the social media platform for providing access to social media to a minor user.

According to the bill, anyone who facilitates the creation of an account by a minor will be punished with six months of imprisonment and a fine. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will be bound to close the existing social media accounts of minors, and the PTA will have the power to make rules and regulations and make clarifications.

The bill aims at protection of children from online exploitation, cyber bullying and harmful content. The government will create digital awareness among parents and children. Senator Masroor explained that the bill is a step in line with the policies of Australia and New Zealand.