Today's Edition
BATOOL GHAITH, AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
As children spend more time online, concerns over misinformation, harmful content, and digital wellbeing are prompting families to rethink how young people navigate the internet.
A UAE poll conducted in 2025 found that 86% of young children regularly engage in digital activities, rising to 97% among those aged five to eight. Drawn from insights of 10,000 residents, the Digital Use Survey formed part of a three-year study backed by Abu Dhabi’s Early Childhood Authority (ECA).
While 82% of parents report setting rules on which apps or platforms their children can access, and 71% limit screen time, experts say safeguarding children online requires more than restrictions.
Given the vast amount of information kids encounter in their feeds, media literacy is becoming an essential skill to help them identify misleading or harmful content, said media and communication specialist Dr Bayan Qudah.
“Media literacy helps children question what they see, identify unreliable content, and evaluate information before accepting or sharing it,” Qudah told Aletihad.
Critical thinking is a key part of this process, she added, as it enables children to analyse content, understand its purpose, and make informed decisions.
“In this context, the role of parents is not only to supervise, but also to guide and support their children in developing these important skills,” she added.
Dima Mahboubeh, trainer and expert in media and information literacy, emphasised that parents can protect their children from misinformation by teaching them to ask the right questions, such as “Who published this information? Are they trustworthy?”
“They should also encourage comparing information from multiple sources and not sharing any content they are not sure of,” Mahboubeh told Aletihad.
Regular discussions with children about what they see online help raise awareness and strengthen digital literacy, she added.
Mahboubeh also noted that modelling plays a key role.
“When children see their parents verifying news before sharing, they learn the same behaviour. Guiding children toward reliable sources and age-appropriate content is equally helpful.”
Students Urged to Remain Vigilant
As children grow older and spend more time on the internet independently, particularly for school, concerns extend to wider cyber risks.
At a time when distance learning is becoming a central part of education, cybersecurity adviser Mohammad Ali Alawadi cautioned that threats targeting students are on the rise. He urged young users to be extra careful and remain vigilant whenever they go online for schoolwork and beyond.
Alawadi highlighted a number of threats increasingly aimed at students. False announcements about tests or deadlines, phishing e-mails posing as schools or teachers, and fake login pages intended to steal credentials are some of the most prevalent, he said.
Fraudulent scholarship offers, fake fee-payment links, and mails asking for “updated information” under the guise of processing stipends are also among hackers’ tactics, Alawadi added. “With the rise of AI-generated content, these methods are becoming more sophisticated and difficult to detect.”
Alawadi stressed that students must actively verify the legitimacy of online content. “Students should check whether the content comes from an official source such as the school, university, teacher, or platform itself.”
He added that certain markers can help identify trustworthy content: clear author names, correct spelling and grammar, and consistent branding. Any suspicious claims should be cross-checked with official websites or through direct communication with instructors.
“If something feels rushed, alarming, or too unusual, it should be double-checked before being trusted. This awareness should be the responsibility of the educational institution first, then on students,” said Alawadi, who is also the CEO of cyber-centric consulting firm Xenon Intelligence.
To improve cybersecurity, the expert called on students to think before they click and follow the golden rules of online safety. “Use strong unique passwords; enable two-factor authentication where possible; avoid clicking unknown links; only log in through official websites or apps; keep devices updated; avoid sharing passwords; and report suspicious messages or platform activity immediately,” he said.
Alawadi also pointed to parents as key to keeping children safe online. Parents can help children develop safer internet habits by teaching them to spot fraud and fake materials, including AI-generated content. He urged parents to monitor younger children’s internet use, secure their devices, and encourage children to speak up if something online seems suspicious, confusing, or threatening. “Parents help create awareness, discipline, and safer habits in everyday platform use,” he said.
Open Communication at Home
For many families, the challenge is not just monitoring what children watch online but helping them understand what is real and what is not.
Rasha Abdulhadi, mother of two, said her children frequently come across confusing content or fake news.
“Sometimes, they show me videos that are fake and they think it is real. Children cannot differentiate between fake and real, so they are prone to believing anything they come across on social media or YouTube,” Abdulhadi told Aletihad.
To address this, she said her family has started encouraging conversations about what her children see online, while setting stricter limits on screen time.
“If they see something strange, we asked them to check with us and ask where it came from. They started to slowly realise what could be fake,” she said.
Laws to Safeguard Kids
In the United States, a Los Angeles jury ruled that Meta and Google were responsible for creating social media platforms that contribute to youth addiction and mental health concerns among children.
In the UAE, new legislation aims to address these risks through stronger safeguards and clearer accountability. In December 2025, the government issued a Federal Decree-Law on Child Digital Safety, establishing a legal framework to protect children in digital environments and regulate the responsibilities of online platforms and service providers.
The law aims to create safer digital spaces for minors while promoting awareness around responsible technology use.
Additionally, the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council recently discussed regulating children’s use of social media during its second meeting of 2026.
The UAE is actively working to develop a national framework to regulate children’s use of social media and strengthen online safety. The proposed approach includes introducing age-appropriate access to platforms, a gradual risk-based system for regulating social media use, and clearer compliance requirements for digital service providers.
