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

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

The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution recommending measures to restrict social media access for children under the age of 16 and ensure their safety in the digital environment.

The resolution was moved by Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau Chairperson and MPA Sarah Ahmed, and called for effective legislation to protect children under 16 and safeguard their digital future.

The resolution recommended measures to protect children from cyber harassment, online sexual exploitation and inappropriate content. It also called for an effective age-verification mechanism on social media platforms to identify underage users.

Read: Social media rules: IHC issues notices

It further recommended that social media companies comply with child protection standards and that a coordinated mechanism be established among federal and provincial institutions for the online protection of children.

Sarah said every child would be provided with a safe childhood and a secure digital future. She said child protection and a safe digital environment were among the priorities of the Punjab government.

She said the state had a fundamental responsibility to protect the best interests of children and that an effective regulatory framework was essential to ensure their safety in the digital environment.

Countries around the globe, including China, the United Arab Emirates and Türkiye, have either instituted measures intended to curtail or bar access to social media for young people, or have said they were planning to do so.

Last month, France's top court blocked ​a bill banning social media access for under-15s, saying it infringed upon freedom of ‌expression and delivering a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who asked his government to rewrite the legislation.

Australia in December became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them from platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Meta's Instagram and Facebook.

Also Read: France's top court blocks social media ban for under-15s

The European Union said it was planning to seek stronger protections for children from harmful ​social media features.

However, social media ​companies generally oppose blanket ⁠bans, saying they have measures already in place to protect younger users, including age restrictions, though they have also said they would comply with government ​bans. Google, Meta, Snap and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests ​for comment.

Social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat say people need to be at least 13 to sign up.

Child protection advocates say the controls are insufficient, ​and official data in several European countries shows huge numbers of children under 13 have social media accounts.