The National Commission on the Rights of Child has told the Islamabad High Court that protecting minors from online grooming, exploitation and harmful content is the responsibility of the state, proposing a set of legal and institutional reforms aimed at improving child safety on social media. The commission made the submission in a 17-page response as part of a case concerning social media use by children under 16, acknowledging the concerns raised in the petition and stating that effective legal and regulatory measures are essential for online child safety.
Among its central recommendations, the NCRC called for age verification mechanisms and a comprehensive regulatory framework, suggesting that child online safety be integrated directly into the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, with particular focus on age verification and effective protection systems. Embedding these protections within existing legislation rather than creating an entirely separate framework could allow the measures to be implemented alongside other provisions already under development as part of that broader law.
To address technology facilitating risks to children, the commission recommended strengthening the capacity of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency and establishing specialised systems dedicated to investigating cases of online child exploitation. It also proposed reviewing and amending the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act from a child rights perspective, suggesting that the existing legal framework may not adequately address the specific risks children face online in its current form. The commission said digital platforms must be held more accountable for child safety, urging stronger action against harmful content involving children and measures to ensure its immediate removal when identified. It also stressed the need to limit unnecessary online contact between children and unknown adults, adding that legislation, platform accountability and effective enforcement are all essential components of a workable framework, rather than any single measure being sufficient on its own.
The NCRC noted the broader need to balance children’s digital rights with their protection online, maintaining that the issue requires effective legal and institutional measures rather than policy statements alone. Advocates Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid are representing the petitioner in the case, which continues to be heard before the Islamabad High Court as the commission’s recommendations are considered alongside the broader push to strengthen Pakistan’s regulatory approach to child safety on digital platforms.
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