By: Dr. Ansar Abbas
Pakistan’s young people are among the most active users of digital technology, yet they remain largely underrepresented in the decisions that shape the country’s digital future. They use social media, artificial intelligence, digital payments, online learning platforms and government services every day, but their role in digital governance is often limited to participation in consultations, seminars or awareness activities.
Consultation is important, but it is not enough.
Youth should not only be solicited for input after policies have been designed. They should be offered fruitful opportunities to voice their ideas, to recognize issues and suggest solutions, and to interact directly with institutions that make decisions on digital policy, public information, online safety and technology governance.
This requires moving from youth consultation to youth influence.
Pakistan’s young people have firsthand experience of how digital technology is reshaping everyday life. Students understand the realities of online learning, misinformation, privacy concerns, cyber harassment, artificial intelligence and unequal digital access because these issues affect their daily lives. Their experiences can provide valuable insights for policymakers, universities, regulators and technology institutions.
However, youth engagement is often temporary. Young people may be invited to a conference, asked to complete a survey or participate in a dialogue, but there is rarely a structured mechanism through which their recommendations are followed up or incorporated into institutional decision-making.
Meaningful participation requires continuity.
Digital Voices demonstrates how youth engagement can move beyond awareness towards civic action. The project combined training in digital rights, information integrity, Right to Information (RTI), responsible artificial intelligence (AI), online safety and civic leadership with opportunities for participants to apply what they learned. The project did not end with workshops or discussions. Instead, it encouraged young people to identify issues in their communities, develop civic solutions and engage directly with public institutions. This approach is also important because young people learn about governance more effectively when they experience it.
A student who participates in a policy discussion, files an RTI request, develops a digital civic initiative or presents recommendations to stakeholders begins to understand that citizenship involves more than commenting on public affairs online. It involves evidence, dialogue, responsibility and sustained engagement.
The stakeholder showcase organized under the Digital Voices project also brought students together with academic, civil society, media and public-sector representatives. Discussions covered digital rights, cybersecurity, misinformation, ethical AI, women’s digital inclusion and digital accountability. Such platforms demonstrate the value of connecting youth learning with institutional and policy perspectives.
The challenge is to make these opportunities permanent rather than project-based.
Universities are well placed to lead this shift. They should establish digital governance forums, civic innovation clubs and student policy labs where young people can research emerging digital issues and develop evidence-based recommendations. These platforms could work with government departments, regulators, media organizations and civil society institutions to create regular channels for youth engagement.
Government institutions can also establish youth advisory mechanisms for areas such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, online safety, data protection and information integrity. These bodies should not exist only for symbolic representation. They should have clear terms of reference, regular meetings and mechanisms through which recommendations receive formal responses.
Youth participation should also become more diverse. Digital policy discussions often involve students from major urban universities, while young people from smaller cities, rural areas and less-connected communities may remain excluded. Women, persons with disabilities and young people from different socioeconomic backgrounds should also have meaningful representation.
Technology itself can help widen participation. Online consultations, digital feedback platforms and virtual policy dialogues can allow more young people to contribute, provided that these mechanisms account for accessibility, language, privacy and unequal internet access.
The Digital Voices project also envisages longer-term mechanisms such as a Youth Civic Action Network, an RTI and Digital Rights Corner and continued engagement between trained young people and public institutions. These kinds of structures are valuable because they turn short-term training into continued civic participation.
Pakistan’s digital transformation will affect young people more than any other generation. They will study, work, build businesses, access services and participate in public life in an increasingly digital environment. It is therefore reasonable that they should also have a voice in shaping the rules and institutions governing that environment.
Young people should not be treated only as beneficiaries of digital policy. They should be recognized as partners in designing it.
The real measure of youth participation is not how many young people attend consultations. It is whether their ideas are heard, considered and translated into institutional action.
Pakistan now needs to build permanent bridges between young citizens and the institutions shaping its digital future. Moving from consultation to influence would not only strengthen youth participation; it would also make digital governance more responsive, inclusive and grounded in the realities of those who will live with its consequences for decades to come.
Dr. Ansar Abbas is Associate Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Hamdard University Islamabad. He is actively involved in initiatives that promote digital literacy, ethical use of artificial intelligence, and meaningful youth participation in Pakistan’s evolving digital society.
