Senate introduces bill to ban social media accounts for U-16s
Senate has introduced the "Social Media (Age Restriction for Users) Bill 2025," which seeks to ban individuals under the age of 16 from creating social media accounts.
The bill was presented by Senators Sarmad Ali and Masroor Ahmed on Monday, marking a significant step towards safeguarding minors from online exploitation, cyberbullying, and harmful content.
The bill proposes severe penalties for violations. Social media platforms found to be allowing underage users will face fines ranging from Rs50,000 to Rs5 million. Furthermore, individuals who assist minors in creating accounts could face up to six months in prison.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will be responsible for deleting all existing social media accounts of minors, with the authority to draft and implement regulations concerning the matter.
Read More: No under-16s on social media: New Zealand
The bill places legal responsibility on social media companies to prevent underage access, aligning Pakistan's policy with those of Australia and New Zealand in a bid to foster digital safety.
Senator Sarmad Ali highlighted the government's focus on protecting children in the digital age, noting that the bill is a vital measure to reduce online harms. It also aims to raise digital awareness among both parents and children, ensuring a safer online environment for young users.
Last year, Australian lawmakers also passed a similar bill to ban under 16s from social media, approving one of the world's toughest crackdowns on popular sites like Facebook, Instagram and X.
The legislation ordered social media firms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent young teens from having accounts was passed in the Senate with 34 votes in favour and 19 against.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
38 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Australia, UK sign 50-year AUKUS deal on nuclear-powered submarines
Australia's government said on Saturday it signed a treaty with Britain to bolster cooperation over the next 50 years on the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership. The AUKUS pact, agreed upon by Australia, Britain and the US in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. US President Donald Trump's administration announced a formal review of the pact this year. Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a statement that the bilateral treaty was signed with Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey on Saturday after a meeting in the city of Geelong, in Victoria state. "The Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of our SSN-AUKUS submarines," the statement said. The treaty was a "commitment for the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defence cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I", it said, adding that it built on the "strong foundation" of trilateral AUKUS cooperation. Britain's ministry of defence said this week that the bilateral treaty would underpin the two allies' submarine programmes and was expected to be worth up to 20 billion pounds ($27.1 billion) for Britain in exports over the next 25 years. AUKUS is Australia's biggest-ever defence project, with Canberra committing to spend A$368 billion over three decades to the programme, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the US production base. Australia, which this month paid A$800 million to the US in the second instalment under AUKUS, has maintained it is confident the pact will proceed. The defence and foreign ministers of Australia and Britain held talks on Friday in Sydney on boosting cooperation, coinciding with Australia's largest war games. As many as 40,000 troops from 19 countries are taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercises held from July 13 to August 4, which Australia's military has said are a rehearsal for joint warfare to maintain Indo-Pacific stability. Britain has significantly increased its participation in the exercise co-hosted by Australia and the United States, with aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales taking part this year.
Express Tribune
8 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Senators decry judicial overreach
A 12-member panel, headed by Adviser to PM on NHLH Irfan Siddiqui, was constituted by PM. PHOTO: FILE Listen to article The Senate on Friday took exception to the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) move to issue stay orders on matters under discussion in parliamentary committees. Terming it a serious breach of privilege, the lawmakers called for the matter to be referred to the Senate's Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges. They also urged that the attorney general be summoned to explain the judiciary's overreach into parliamentary affairs. During the session, chaired by Senator Irfan Siddiqui, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) objected to the stay orders issued by the IHC and Lahore High Court (LHC) against upper house proceedings. "I have never seen stay orders against parliamentary proceedings before. This should be taken seriously," he said, urging the Senate to summon the attorney general. "We never interfere in court proceedings, but judges issuing stay orders against committee actions is direct interference in Parliament. It's becoming a joke." Shahadat Awan supported the call. "We will seek input from the law minister and summon the attorney general for clarification and action." Senator Anusha Rehman said such actions violated Article 66 of the Constitution and constituted a breach of privilege. "Issuing a stay order against a member of Parliament is a direct attack on their privilege," she said, urging the House to refer the matter to the privileges committee and have those responsible appear before it. "No one can stop us from speaking in this House," she added. Senator Kamran Murtaza expressed concern over reports of lawyers being picked up in Balochistan. "If someone has committed a crime, they should be punished under the law," he said. The Presiding Officer responded that a report on the matter would be sought.
Business Recorder
10 hours ago
- Business Recorder
PTI founder steps up criticism of ‘establishment'
ISLAMABAD: In a fiery denunciation from behind bars, ex-prime minister Imran Khan on Friday slammed the 'establishment'. In a blistering message posted on X, Khan said 'establishment' is bent on cementing its personal power at the cost of national interest. 'The Senate, the National Assembly, the Prime Minister, and the President – none of them have any constitutional legitimacy,' Khan declared, lambasting what he called a 'sham constitutional court' that manipulated parliamentary seat distribution to rig the political landscape in favour of the military's chosen players. Khan did not spare the Election Commission of Pakistan either, accusing Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja of masterminding an unprecedented electoral fraud and then securing an extension to dodge any accountability. He revealed that an Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge has refused to hear his appeals for seven months, a silence he attributed to direct military interference. Condemning the systematic dismantling of the judiciary, institutions, and democratic norms, Khan said the legitimisation of military courts amounted to a judicial self-execution – a 'vote of no confidence' against the judiciary itself. He also alleged that the military leadership has weaponised his wife, Bushra Bibi, in a bid to break his spirit, but vowed he would rather die than bow to what he called 'Asim Munir's monarchy.' Khan dubbed the current rulers a 'Dacoits-and-Duffers Alliance' that has trampled judicial independence through the controversial 26th Amendment. Taking aim at Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, he blamed the cricket administrator for the country's plummeting status in the sports, warning that such unqualified cronies are ruining every institution they touch. He revealed that his calls for dialogue were contingent on the formation of inquiry commissions to investigate the bloody events of November 26, 2024, and May 9, 2023 – events he said were orchestrated under Gen Munir's orders, including the shooting of unarmed civilians. With dialogue now off the table, Khan asserted that the military has completely hijacked the country's system. Khan said he has tasked his legal team with ensuring the protest movement continues unabated, with the goal of restoring justice, the rule of law, and constitutional supremacy. He warned that without popular mobilisation, his party faces slow political extinction. On electoral reforms, Khan reiterated his long-standing demand for Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), claiming that their use in the February 8, 2024 elections would have ended rigging once and for all. He urged their immediate adoption to guarantee transparent and fair elections in the future. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
