Tech Valley has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hum Network Ltd as a media partner for the Digital Pasban program, a national initiative focused on promoting online safety and digital awareness of children among parents and teachers. Digital Pasban, whose name translates to “protector,” was launched last month by Tech Valley in partnership with Google, with a Google team on the ground in Islamabad for the initial rollout, aiming to equip Pakistani families with practical tools, hands-on training, and localized Urdu-language safety toolkits. Through this new partnership, Tech Valley and Hum Network will combine technology expertise and media reach to bring conversations around digital safety, responsible technology use, and digital parenting to families and communities across the country.
The initiative has set a goal of reaching more than 200,000 households nationwide, aiming to help parents, teachers, and children build the knowledge and confidence needed to navigate the digital world safely. Digital Pasban is structured around four key areas: Family Link, which helps parents manage screen time and app access; YouTube Shorts, focused on promoting age-appropriate and safer viewing experiences; Be Internet Awesome, which builds essential digital citizenship skills for children; and SafeSearch, which supports safer and more responsible online exploration. This four-pillar structure gives the programme a fairly comprehensive scope, addressing both the technical tools available to parents and the broader digital literacy skills children themselves need to develop.
Beyond digital awareness content, the programme will run school-based town halls and parent safety clinics to provide families with practical guidance on managing online risks and using the available safety tools directly. Bringing Hum Network on board as media partner extends Digital Pasban’s reach considerably, given the network’s established broadcast footprint and audience across Pakistan, complementing Tech Valley’s role as the exclusive Google for Education partner in the country and its established Digital Pasban toolkit, which parents can already download for free. Tech Valley has built a track record of similar large-scale partnerships aimed at expanding digital access and literacy in Pakistan, including an earlier two-year MoU with Jazz and the British Council focused on digital education and capacity building for underserved communities.
Institutions and organizations interested in hosting a Digital Pasban town hall, or learning more about the programme, have been invited to reach out to Tech Valley directly through its website or by phone. With Hum Network now onboard to help amplify its messaging, the programme’s ability to reach its 200,000 household target will likely depend on how effectively the media partnership translates broadcast reach into actual engagement with the town halls, safety clinics, and downloadable toolkits that form the practical core of Digital Pasban’s approach to building a safer, more digitally confident Pakistan.
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