The Peshawar High Court has sought a report from the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority in a petition seeking a ban on TikTok over concerns about content allegedly affecting society.

The TikTok ban petition was heard by a bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Farah Jamshed. The case concerns claims that objectionable videos on the platform are contributing to social concerns, while regulators say blocking specific types of content remains technically difficult.

During the hearing, petitioner’s counsel Barrister Babar Shehzad Imran argued that inappropriate videos were being uploaded on TikTok and that such content was causing harm in society.

The petitioner’s lawyer informed the court that it had earlier asked the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to submit a report regarding firewall-related measures.

PTA counsel Jahanzeb Mehsud told the court that the required report had been submitted.

The PTA lawyer said TikTok and other social media platforms use systems that continue showing similar content once a user watches a particular type of video. He said the petitioner was asking for specific categories of content to be controlled, but blocking only selected material was a difficult task.

The PTA counsel said the authority was working on the issue and had already blocked several accounts. He added that accounts are blocked when complaints are received against them.

Justice Ijaz Anwar observed that if the government wants a political post blocked, it is removed quickly, and questioned why similar action could not be taken against such content.

The PTA lawyer responded that a separate institution had now been established to regulate social media.

He told the court that the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority had been set up and would now deal with such matters.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that if the government did not regulate TikTok, people would protest against the platform. He requested the court to also seek a response from the new authority.

The court accepted the request and directed the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority to submit a report before adjourning the hearing.

Also Read : Spider-Man: Brand New Day Details Point to Major Changes in Peter Parker’s Life