Social media and U-16s

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The Senate is considering a groundbreaking bill to ban social media access for children under 16, citing mental health risks, cyberbullying and predatory content. The bill would impose fines up to Rs5 million on non-compliant platforms and even jail time for adults aiding minors in setting up or using social media. But while safeguarding youth is a laudable goal, this proposal suffers from fatal flaws in enforcement and overreach, risking privacy and digital rights.

Proponents rightly argue that social media exposes children to several harms, including anxiety and depression, vulnerability to exploitation and distraction from studies. The bill also aligns with global steps such as Australia's recent under-16 ban and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, which mandates parental consent for minors to use several types of online services and products, including social media.

The problem, however, is that the mechanics of age verification pose severe practical and ethical challenges. Requiring platforms like TikTok or Instagram to authenticate ages could force 16-year-olds to submit government IDs or biometric data. As seen in EU trials, such systems create honeypots for hackers and normalise surveillance. Meanwhile, Pakistan's own history of internet bans has made almost everyone familiar with VPNs.

Tech-savvy teens will almost certainly find ways to circumvent age gates whenever they want. At the same time, PTA would need to audit millions of accounts — a herculean task for an agency already struggling with enforcing politicised censorship under PECA and related laws. The bill also overlooks nuances such as parental autonomy. Many argue that monitoring children's online activity should rest with families, not the state.

Instead of unenforceable prohibitions, the government should invest in digital literacy programmes for schools and parents, including encouraging family rules for responsible social media use, and work with platforms and international partners to encourage platform accountability via transparent content moderation.