ISLAMABAD:Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday told the Senate that the growing and unregulated exposure of children under 18 to social media platforms was an extremely serious issue, requiring a coordinated and comprehensive response from all state institutions.
Responding to a calling attention notice raised by Falak Naz and others regarding the excessive and unmonitored use of social media applications by minor children, the minister said the issue transcended political lines and could not be confined to one era, one government, or one side of the aisle.
“This is not an opposition-versus-government matter. It is a collective national issue,” he said.
He said the concern raised by Senator Falak Naz was valid and must be examined through the relevant parliamentary forum.
The minister said that no single institution could resolve the problem, as it required simultaneous input from Interior, Education Ministries, FIA Cyber Wing and National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency and regulatory bodies etc.
He said countries across the world were struggling with similar concerns. “This problem is escalating everywhere. No country has fully handled it or found a perfect model,” he said.