ABU DHABI / DUBAI – As children spend more of their lives online, the UAE is tightening its approach to keeping them safe on the internet. Government bodies, technology companies, families and police are being brought together under a strategy that mixes digital education, parental controls, technical safeguards and quick reporting of cybercrime.

The effort took on a regional dimension this week. Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, has announced a $2.4 million grant to Injaz Al-Arab to equip more than 2.3 million children in nine Middle Eastern and North African countries with digital safety, security and citizenship skills over four years.

A four-year programme across nine countries

The funding will support the Arabic-language version of Google's Abtal Al Internet, or Internet Heroes, programme. Children in the UAE, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia are among those who will benefit, along with four other countries in the region.

The announcement coincides with an interactive Google Internet Heroes experience at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai on October 24 and 25. Staged in partnership with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and the National Media Office, the event gives families hands-on activities designed to build digital awareness. It also introduces parents to the supervision and safety tools available across Google's products, including children's and teen accounts on YouTube and the YouTube Kids app.

What UAE officials are saying

Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Office, visited the experience and said a safe digital environment for young people is central to the UAE's vision of a secure, knowledge-based society. Protecting future generations from cyber risks, he said, has to go hand in hand with helping them make the most of digital opportunities.

He stressed that digital awareness helps children tell reliable information from misleading content, protect their privacy and behave respectfully online.

Saeed Balhol, Acting Director-General of TDRA, described the authority's approach as a combination of prevention, awareness and empowerment, with families, authorities and digital platforms all sharing responsibility. As technology and artificial intelligence advance, he said, the answer is not to keep children away from the digital world but to prepare them to explore it safely and confidently.

Safeguards built into the platforms

Google executives outlined the protections already in place for younger users. For people under 18, uploaded videos are set to private by default, autoplay and personalised advertising are switched off, and parents can use supervision tools such as Google Family Link and YouTube's Family Centre.

Javid Aslanov, Head of YouTube for the Middle East and North Africa, said earlier this year the platform introduced dedicated experiences for children and teenagers that give parents more control over what their children watch. Parents can also set daily limits for YouTube Shorts, including a limit of zero minutes. YouTube Kids, a separate app for children under 13, offers further supervision options.

Anthony Nakache, Managing Director of Google for MENA, said families and technology companies share the responsibility of guiding children online as digital services become part of how they learn, from augmented-reality exploration to exam preparation.

Police outline four practical steps

Alongside the Google programme, Abu Dhabi Police have set out four measures for protecting children online. Lieutenant Colonel Ali Fares Al Nuaimi, Head of the Cybercrime Section at the Criminal Investigation Directorate, listed them as follows:

• Parental supervision, starting with teaching children to take responsibility for their own safety, protect personal information and treat suspicious messages and links with caution.
• Technology-based safeguards, including parental controls and security apps, along with monitoring the content children access.
• Prompt reporting of grooming, cyberbullying or suspicious behaviour to the relevant authorities, rather than ignoring it or trying to handle serious threats alone.
• Regular attention to security alerts issued by police, which help families recognise new scams and understand how criminals exploit weaknesses.

Scam warnings for the whole family

In a related development, Abu Dhabi Police have warned about several forms of online fraud, including fake links, criminals posing as government officials or bank staff, and fraudulent shopping sites designed to steal card details. Writing in the Ministry of Interior's Police Community magazine, Al Nuaimi urged residents never to share banking details, passwords or verification codes with untrusted parties, and to verify the identity of any institution or website before making payments.

Shared responsibility, not just restrictions

The central message from officials this week is that no single institution can protect children online. Schools, parents, regulators, technology platforms and law enforcement all have a role, and the strategy leans on open communication and trust at home rather than relying only on restrictions or monitoring.

For parents, the practical takeaway is straightforward: turn on the available safeguards, talk regularly with children about what they see online, and report problems early. For the region's children, the Abtal Al Internet programme aims to supply the skills to put those lessons into practice for years to come.