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The National Commission on the Rights of Child made the remarks in a 17-page response submitted to the court.
The case concerns social media use by children under 16. The commission called for stronger laws, age verification and institutional measures to improve online safety.
The NCRC recommended a comprehensive regulatory framework for child online safety.
It called for age verification mechanisms to prevent children from accessing harmful online content and services.
The commission also proposed integrating child online safety into the regulatory framework of the Digital Nation Pakistan Act.
It said the framework should include effective protection systems and safeguards for children.
The commission recommended increasing the capacity of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
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It also proposed specialised systems to investigate technology-facilitated child exploitation and online child sexual abuse.
The NCRC said authorities need stronger institutional capacity to respond to these crimes.
The NCRC also called for a review and amendment of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) from a child-rights perspective.
It said Pakistan’s existing legal framework needs improvement to address online risks faced by children.
The commission also called for greater accountability from digital platforms.
The NCRC said platforms should take effective action against child sexual abuse material and online grooming.
It also called for systems that allow the immediate removal of such content.
The commission further recommended limiting unnecessary online contact between children and unknown adults.
It said legislation, platform accountability and effective enforcement were necessary to protect children online.
The NCRC stressed the need to balance children’s digital rights with their protection from online harm.
It said child online safety requires effective legal and institutional measures rather than policy commitments alone.
The recommendations come as the Islamabad High Court considers a petition concerning social media access for children under 16. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has separately told the court that it currently lacks the statutory authority to impose mandatory age verification or a universal minimum age for social media users.
Advocates Muhammad Jalal Haider and Yahya Farid are representing the petitioner.
[…] NCRC State Must Protect Children From Online Harm […]