Pakistan Cannot Build a Digital Future Unless It Is Safe for Its Children: Minister Shaza Fatima at Meta’s Digital Tahafuzz Summit

KARACHI — Meta today hosted the Digital Tahafuzz Summit in Islamabad, focused on youth safety and well-being online, in partnership with the Ministry of IT & Telecom, Ministry of Human Rights, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Social Media Protection & Regulatory Authority (SMPRA), National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) and Zindagi Trust.

The Summit brought together policymakers, educators, parents, civil society and creators to discuss how young people can grow up safely online while benefiting from the opportunities of the digital world.

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Discussions focused on protecting teens through privacy-first, age-appropriate design and default safeguards, rather than relying on complex settings alone. Participants also explored a workable, privacy-preserving age-assurance framework for Pakistan, noting that protections are most effective when young people understand them and have trusted adults to turn to.

The need for a national push on digital safety education, supported by industry, and Pakistan’s potential to lead the region on evidence-based youth safety policy were also highlighted.

Meta Launches Digital Dialogues Initiative to Promote Online Safety for Pakistani Teens

At the Summit, Meta launched Digital Dialogues in Real Life, a free, browser-based experience designed to help teens, parents, educators and community groups navigate everyday online situations. Developed with input from young people and educators, the experience introduces families to Teen Accounts’ built-in protections on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, which limit who can contact teens, what content they see, and how they manage their time online. Content is guided by 13+ film ratings and parent feedback, and teens under 16 need parental permission to make protections less strict.

“Pakistan cannot build a truly digital future unless it is a safe one for its children. Protecting young people online cannot rest on parents navigating complex settings alone. Safety must be built into technology, reinforced through digital literacy and upheld through collective responsibility. Today’s Summit shows what that looks like in practice, with government, industry, educators and families at the same table. Our commitment is clear: a digital Pakistan where no child is left to face the risks of the online world alone,” said Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication.

“Keeping teens safe online is a responsibility we share with parents, educators, governments and civil society. We build for parents’ peace of mind with Teen Accounts, putting protections in place by default. That is why we built Digital Dialogues in Real Life, to help parents and teens talk more openly about life online,” said Yuen Ting Chay, Director of Public Policy, South and Central Asia, Meta.

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“Protecting children online is a shared responsibility. We must equip children with knowledge and empower parents to guide them. PTA remains committed to promoting digital awareness for a safer online environment,” said Chairman PTA, Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman.

The Summit builds on Meta’s ongoing teen safety work in Pakistan.