Google introduced “Digital Pasban” on Thursday, a nationwide initiative aimed at equipping Pakistani families with practical tools to navigate online safety. This effort comes as more households increasingly rely on the internet for education, entertainment, and daily activities.
The launch took place during the “Safe Raho with Google” event in Islamabad. Digital Pasban plans to reach 200,000 homes by offering localized Urdu toolkits, instructional videos, and hands-on training sessions. The initiative is a collaborative effort involving the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Tech Valley, Beaconhouse School System, and HUM Network, supported by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, and the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination.
Digital Pasban is built around four key tools. Family Link, a free parental control application, enables parents to regulate screen time, approve apps, filter content, and track device location. YouTube provides age-appropriate content settings, including a new option for parents to restrict or disable children’s access to Shorts. The Be Internet Awesome program targets children aged 7 to 12, teaching digital citizenship through five core principles reinforced by the interactive game Interland. Additionally, Google’s AI assistant Gemini is introduced as a family tool with safeguards against harmful role-play and inappropriate content for minors, featuring a “Guided Learning” mode that helps students solve problems step-by-step rather than simply providing answers.
The rollout strategy includes broadcast media, SMS alerts, social media campaigns, and school town halls. Parent and guardian safety clinics will also be held, allowing families to engage with real-world online safety scenarios together. Google.org is investing $500,000 to expand digital citizenship and AI safety programs nationwide in partnership with local organizations.
PTA Chairman Major General (Retd) Hafeez Ur Rehman emphasized that the initiative demonstrates a shared commitment with Google to creating a safer digital environment for children and families in Pakistan. He highlighted the program’s practical tools and school outreach as essential in helping parents foster safer digital habits among their children.
Farhan Qureshi, Google’s Cluster Director for Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Frontier Markets, stated that the company’s focus is on protecting children within the digital space rather than restricting their access. He noted that ensuring every Pakistani family can confidently explore the internet requires strong cross-sector collaboration, likening it to the proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.”
Umar Farooq, CEO of Tech Valley, shared that parents nationwide have expressed concerns about the rapid pace of digital change outstripping their ability to guide their children. He described this gap as a source of anxiety and said Digital Pasban aims to transform that worry into confidence through safety clinics and actionable guidance. He also remarked that the target of reaching 200,000 households marks the starting point, not the conclusion, of the initiative.
This program builds on Google’s existing Digital Safar initiative, which has trained over 300,000 students and 5,000 educators in digital citizenship. It also complements Google’s partnership with the Punjab government to migrate the education ministry to Google for Education, delivering AI-powered learning tools to 1.5 million students.
