The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) recently briefed the Senate. They provided this response following a question from Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri. For the past three years, the government has not evaluated the harmful impact of social media on children in Pakistan. Consequently, authorities lack detailed studies on mental health risks and online abuse exposure among minors.
Currently, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, governs social media platforms in Pakistan. However, the government recently transferred administrative oversight of this law to the Ministry of Interior.
Despite lacking a formal assessment of the social media impact on children, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) actively enforces regulations. Under Section 37 of PECA, the PTA has blocked or removed over one million URLs. These links contained immoral and indecent content.
Additionally, the authority blocked 5,175 websites hosting Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The NCCIA Interpol desk originally identified these illegal platforms.
Meanwhile, the PTA actively promotes online safety to the public. The authority published a list of parental control software tools on its official website. Furthermore, it regularly distributes this information across its own social media channels.
To strengthen Child Online Protection (COP), the PTA formed strategic partnerships. These partners include UNICEF Pakistan, TikTok, GSMA, and the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Through these alliances, the regulator successfully conducted digital safety training sessions. These sessions took place across 100 government schools. Ultimately, they benefited over 12,500 parents, teachers, and students.
Previously, in February 2024, the PTA launched a guidebook titled “Safeguarding Your Child in the Digital Age“. UNICEF, Telenor, and the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) collaborated on this publication. Moreover, the government allocated a nationwide toll-free helpline (1121). Citizens can use this number specifically for reporting child abuse cases.
Additionally, the PTA currently runs a nationwide “Train the Trainer” program. Under this initiative, 15 master trainers are preparing 210 facilitators. Together, they will expand local outreach regarding digital safety and online risk management.
However, the government clarified a crucial limitation regarding parental controls. The PTA does not administer age verification systems or account registration controls. Instead, individual social media platforms develop and enforce these features internally based on global standards.