Tablets, gaming consoles and smartphones are part of everyday childhood. However, in the UAE, what kids do online is no longer just a parenting concern. It’s now a legal one. Under the recent Child Digital Safety Law by the UAE government, parents and caregivers must actively supervise and manage their children’s digital activity. The legislation introduces stricter controls on online content, screen use, and the collection and use of children’s personal data. The new law aims to redefine digital safety as a matter of legal responsibility rather than a matter of personal choice. Want to avoid a potential lawsuit? Then keep reading for the details.
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It’s A Law That Applies To Every Digital Platform
The new rules don’t only affect companies operating inside the UAE. Any digital platform that targets children in the country, regardless of where it is based, must comply. This includes social media apps, gaming platforms, and other digital services accessed by minors. Platforms must to implement safeguards such as age-verification systems, content filters, parental control tools and tighter restrictions on advertising directed at children.
Parental Obligations, Now Clearly Defined
One of the most significant changes introduced by the law is its official definition of parental responsibility in the digital space. Senior legal experts explain that caregivers have to actively monitor children’s online behaviour. Additionally, they need to apply parental control tools and ensure their children use only age-appropriate platforms. Allowing unsafe access or exposing children online in ways that compromise privacy or well-being could now carry legal consequences. Parents and guardians also need to comply with privacy standards and immediately report harmful or explicit content to authorities when encountered. To sum it up, online supervision is no longer an option; it is a legal obligation.
Parents Gain Better Control Over Their Child’s Data
The new law also strengthens parental authority over how children’s personal information is handled online. For children under 13, platforms are prohibited from collecting or using personal data without clear, verifiable parental consent. Parents can withdraw that consent easily. Simultaneously, platforms must restrict internal access to children’s data and are prohibited from using it for commercial purposes or targeted advertising.
New Restrictions On High-Risk Online Activities
Children under 18 are now legally barred from participating in online commercial games, including gambling and betting platforms. Digital service providers and internet companies will introduce safeguards that prevent access, effectively creating a legal barrier between minors and high-risk online environments.
Why This Law Matters Now
The legislation comes amid rising concern over how much data platforms collect from children and the rapid spread of harmful, misleading and AI-generated content online. Cybersecurity specialists warn that digital threats aimed at children are often psychological rather than technical. Familiarity and repetitive interactions can lower a child’s sense of risk, making them more susceptible to scams and manipulation. Experts also point out that children tend to share personal information gradually, including photos, voice notes, school details, reused passwords and more. Children often share these details without realising that the data collection and exploitation are happening over time.
A Shared Approach To Digital Safety
With the UAE placing renewed focus on family wellbeing, the Child Digital Safety Law reinforces that protecting children online requires more than awareness campaigns. Beyond that, the law stresses that meaningful protection depends on cumulative action among households, digital platforms and regulators. Bottom line, the new law makes children’s digital safety a shared responsibility and places clear legal accountability on parents.
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