Child Digital Safety Law: With children spending more hours online to learn, to get entertained, and to socialize, it is becoming a more challenging task for parents to keep their children safe in the virtual world. In view of these increasing concerns, the UAE has made one significant move in enhancing online protection of minors, which was the implementation of a new federal law targeted at child digital safety. In December 2025, the UAE indicated that it was issuing Federal Decree No. 26 of 2025 on Child Digital Safety.
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UAE Issues New Child Digital Safety Law
In December 2025, the UAE declared the publication of the Federal Decree No. 26 of 2025 on Child Digital Safety, establishing a legal framework on the countrywide level aimed at safeguarding children against online hazards. The idea of the law is to provide children with access to safe, age-appropriate online content and protect them against harmful, exploitative, or inappropriate content.
The law is aimed at the protection of children on the physical, psychological, and moral level, as well as the regulation of the functioning of digital platforms and internet services in the country. It is indicative of the wider intention of the UAE at large to revise its legislation in accordance with the demands of fast-evolving technology and digital consumption.
Who Does the Law Apply to?
The new law covers internet service providers (ISPs) and digital platforms operating in the UAE or aiming at users in the country. It has a wide scope and encompasses different online services such as:
- Websites and search engines
- Social media networks
- Live-streaming and streaming platforms
- Smart applications and podcasts
- Messaging apps and online forums
- Online gaming platforms
- Video-on-demand services
- E-commerce platforms
Having discussed this long list of services, the law guarantees that children are safeguarded in almost all the digital environments that they can encounter.
Classification System for Digital Platforms
A key feature and an important characteristic of the decree law is the establishment of a classification system of digital platforms, which was endorsed by the Education, Human Development, and Community Development Council. These platforms are classified according to the following factors:
- Risk level
- Type of content
- Usage and user volume
- Potential impact on children
These are accompanied by age-based restrictions that digital sites are forced to impose depending on their classification. This mechanism is supposed to help parents be in a position to know what their children should be allowed to see, and platforms should be held responsible for implementing age restrictions.
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Strong Protections for Children’s Data
The legislation makes it very restrictive on the manner in which the data of children can be managed. It forbids the gathering, processing, publication, or disclosure of personal data of children below the age of 13, and it will provide greater protection to privacy in an age where data is widely tracked.
Moreover, children cannot play or even view online commercial games where the participants gamble or bet, and platforms cannot open gambling-related accounts on behalf of minors. This is a direct provision that addresses risks associated with financial abuses and addictive behaviours.
Responsibilities of Internet Service Providers
The new law requires the ISPs to have active content-filtering systems to implement the policies of unproductive or inappropriate material. These systems are made in such a way that the children are able to access the internet in a safe, monitored, and controlled atmosphere so that they face minimal exposure to materials that may have adverse impacts on their welfare.
What This Means for Parents
For parents, the new Child Digital Safety Law provides comfort that tougher laws are now being enforced in the digital ecosystem of the UAE. Although parental control is still necessary, the legislation makes platforms and service providers more responsible for providing safer online environments to children.
With the digital world growing and the new law in the UAE, this is a step forward towards the implementation of the process of balancing access to technologies and child safety in a way that will allow young users to explore, learn, and connect online with more protection and confidence.