Pakistan, Oct. 1 -- The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has told the Islamabad High Court that it lacks legal authority to impose mandatory age verification for social media users under 16.

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The authority submitted a detailed report in response to a petition seeking legislation and a regulatory framework to protect children from harmful social media content. The petitioner cited concerns including cyberbullying, online harassment and exposure to inappropriate material.

The PTA said it could only exercise powers granted under existing laws and could not establish a universal minimum age or new age-verification system through administrative action. ...