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UAE Enacts Child Digital Safety Law, Creates Council and Tightens Platform Rules

The measure forms part of the UAE’s Year of the Family 2026 initiative to strengthen online protections for children.

Overview

  • A Child Digital Safety Council chaired by the Minister of Family will coordinate policy, legislation and awareness efforts across authorities and the private sector.
  • Digital platforms are prohibited from collecting, processing or sharing personal data of children under 13, with narrow exemptions for educational or health services.
  • Platforms must implement default privacy settings, robust age verification, age-based access controls, content filtering and limits on targeted advertising.
  • Internet service providers are required to activate network filtering and secure guardian agreement to terms that mandate parental control tools.
  • Children are barred from accessing online gambling or betting games, and the decree formalizes reporting channels to accelerate responses to abuse or exploitation.