UAE’s child digital safety law: What actually changes for families, teens, tech platforms

When children in the UAE open a game, scroll through videos, or join a social media app, the law now expects the digital world around them to behave differently.

Rather than stepping in after harm occurs, the country’s new Child Digital Safety Law is designed to intervene much earlier — reshaping how platforms are built, how content is filtered, and how children are treated online based on their age. Legal experts say the shift is less about punishment and more about prevention, placing responsibility on systems rather than on children or parents.

“What is different about this new UAE law is that it focuses on prevention, not punishment after harm happens,” said Hesham Elrafei, solicitor and UAE legal expert. “Other laws mainly stepped in after a crime or serious harm had already occurred. This law acts earlier.”

From ‘one-size-fits-all’ to age-based digital experiences

Under the new framework, a child under 18 is no longer meant to encounter the same online environment as an adult by default. Platforms are required to recognise age differences and adjust content, features and protections accordingly.

“In practical terms, a child or teenager under 18 in the UAE playing Roblox or using YouTube, TikTok, or online games should be treated differently from an adult user,” Elrafei explained. “Platforms are expected to apply child-safe protection based on age.”

That translates into stronger privacy settings by default, limits on contact with strangers, and content filtering that reflects a child’s age. For younger users, particularly those under 13, the rules are significantly stricter, including tighter controls on interaction and personal data.

The law also places firm limits on how children’s data can be used. “Children’s data cannot be used for advertising or promotions aimed at influencing them,” Elrafei said, adding that features involving betting, gambling or money-based game mechanics must not be accessible to children at all.

For families, this means safety is meant to be embedded into the platform itself. “Parents should see clearer tools to manage usage time, content, and safety without technical difficulty,” he said.

Harm is broader than explicit content

One of the most significant shifts under the law is how “harmful digital content” is defined. It is no longer limited to clearly illegal or explicit material.

The law defines harmful content as “any written, audio, visual, or digital material” that negatively affects a child’s moral, psychological or social wellbeing. That includes everything from videos and livestreams to interactive game features and online challenges.

Legal advisor Hend Al Mehairi noted that harm is assessed from a child-centred perspective, not an adult one. “Content need not be explicit, abusive, or illegal in the traditional sense to fall within the scope of harmful digital content,” she explained.

Examples can include material that normalises excessive screen use, promotes unrealistic body standards, subtly pressures children to share personal details, or encourages imitation of risky behaviour. “Such cases typically arise through cumulative exposure rather than single incidents,” she said.

Importantly, what qualifies as harmful depends on age. “What may be acceptable for an older teenager is not acceptable for a younger child,” Elrafei said, noting that digital platforms must tailor safeguards and protections to reflect these differences.

What parents are expected to do

Despite widespread concern that parents could now face penalties for their children’s online behaviour, legal experts stress that the law does not criminalise everyday parenting decisions.

“The law sets expectations for parents and caregivers in Article 13, but it does not impose fines or penalties on them,” Elrafei said. Penalties under Article 16 apply to platforms and internet service providers, not families.

Parents are expected to exercise reasonable supervision — knowing which apps and games a child uses, ensuring they are age-appropriate, using basic parental controls, guiding safe behaviour and reporting serious harmful content if they become aware of it.

“The law does not punish parents for failing to supervise perfectly,” Elrafei emphasised. “In simple terms, the law supports parents rather than policing them.”

Al Mehairi added that one common misjudgement is treating digital access as a one-time permission rather than an ongoing responsibility. Sharing adult accounts with children or assuming visibility alone guarantees safety can create legal risk, particularly when safeguards are bypassed.

What children and teens may actually notice changing

For children, the most visible changes will likely be subtle but persistent.

“Platforms are expected to filter what children see and can do based on age, instead of offering the same content and features to everyone,” Elrafei said. Explicit videos should not surface for younger users, violent games should not appear in marketplaces for children, and interaction with unknown adults may be restricted or filtered.

Teenagers aged 13 to 17 are given more freedom, but within limits. “Teenagers can use social media, watch videos, and play games, but with safety limits,” Elrafei explained. Platforms must reduce harmful content, protect privacy, control excessive use and make reporting problems straightforward — without constant surveillance.

Unlike countries that have attempted outright bans on children’s social media use, the UAE’s approach is deliberately different. “Banning children completely is not realistic,” Elrafei said. “Regulating content, features, and behaviour is more practical and effective.”

Platforms under real legal pressure

Perhaps the most consequential change is for technology companies themselves. Many of the protections children rely on today exist only as platform policies. This law turns them into legal obligations.

“The statute focuses on foreseeable risk and systemic design rather than individual intent,” Al Mehairi said. Common failures include weak age verification, dense privacy notices that children cannot understand, and engagement features designed to maximise retention at the expense of safety.

If platforms fail to comply, regulators have teeth. Authorities can issue warnings, order fixes, impose administrative penalties, or even partially or fully block services in serious or repeated cases. Platforms may also be required to provide data, reports and proof that safety measures are working.

“The responsibility is placed on the system, not on the child,” Elrafei noted.

A law that reshapes digital childhood

Rather than rewriting family life or banning screens, the Child Digital Safety Law aims to redesign the digital environment children grow up in. It recognises that children are active digital users — but insists that platforms meet them with age-appropriate protection by design and by default.

In practice, that could mean fewer harmful surprises online, clearer tools for parents, and greater accountability for companies that profit from young users — long before harm has a chance to occur.