Google, YouTube expand online child safety drive with $2.4 million Google.org funding, Dubai child safety Pop-up

Dubai: Google.org is supporting INJAZ Al-Arab with $2.4 million in funding to empower youth across the Middle East and North Africa region with digital safety and online citizenship training over four-years through Google’s Arabic-language Abtal Al Internet (Be Internet Awesome) curriculum. The initiative aims to reach over 2.3 million young people across nine countries including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. First launched in Arabic in 2018, Abtal Al Internet is Google’s digital literacy programme for children between the ages of seven and thirteen. The grant marks Google’s latest contribution to online safety in the region. The announcement coincides with the launch of the Google Abtal Al Internet Pop-Up Playground at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai, in partnership with the UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and the National Media Authority (NMA). The Pop-up, which is open to the public between 24-25 October, offers families an engaging, hands-on experience of Google’s digital literacy programme Abtal Al Internet and the parental control features available on Google products, including YouTube Kid and Teen accounts and the stand-alone YouTube Kids app. Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Authority, said creating a safe digital environment for youth is a strategic pillar of the UAE's vision to build a secure and sustainable knowledge-based society that protects future generations from online risks while empowering them to harness digital opportunities responsibly and consciously. He said the Authority is working to raise digital awareness and promote responsible use of online platforms, ensuring that technology serves as a tool for knowledge, creativity and progress. Speaking during a visit to Google’s "Be Internet Awesome” interactive space (Abtal Al Internet), Al Hamed stressed the importance of digital literacy in helping children distinguish reliable information from misinformation, protect their privacy and interact respectfully online. He added that preparing future generations goes beyond mastering technological tools, requiring a set of values and skills that enable children to use technology consciously and responsibly. He noted that increased digital awareness broadens opportunities for exploration and creativity, empowering youth to help build a safer and more beneficial digital environment. "Whether seeing a life-sized T-Rex with Augmented Reality on Search, exploring biology with AbdulAllah Anan on YouTube, or using Gemini’s Study Notebook to prepare for a chemistry quiz, kids use our products every day to make sense of the world. As parents and leaders, our job is to help them navigate these spaces safely, building healthy habits and becoming responsible digital citizens,” said Anthony Nakache, Managing Director, Google MENA. Google builds protections directly into its products, combining default safeguards for under-18 accounts, such as private uploads, turned-off autoplay, and disabled personalised ads, with controls like Google Family Link and the YouTube Family Centre. Across MENA, more and more families are turning to YouTube to learn real life skills. Research by Kantar found that 95% of viewers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE believe YouTube offers leading educational content, while 92% of Gen Z respondents said the platform has helped them develop new skills. Eng. Saeed Belhoul, Acting Director-General of the TDRA, said, "TDRA’s child digital safety strategy is based on an integrated approach that combines prevention, awareness, and empowerment, while reinforcing shared responsibility among families, relevant entities, and digital platforms. As technology and artificial intelligence continue to evolve rapidly, we believe that protecting children does not necessarily mean avoiding their engagement with the digital world, but rather empowering them to explore it and benefit from its opportunities with awareness, confidence, and responsibility, while building a generation equipped with the knowledge and skills to make informed and safe decisions in the digital environment.” "We want parents to feel empowered when their children open YouTube to learn and explore, whether they are building a science experiment at home or diving into the region’s rich history. By pairing strong default protections with easy-to-use parental controls, every unique family can customise their experience and make the most of YouTube's educational content," said Javid Aslanov, Head of YouTube MENA. Earlier this year, YouTube launched Kid & Teen Accounts to give parents across the Middle East and North Africa additional content controls based on their child’s stage of development, including an industry-first Shorts feed timer to manage viewing, with the option to set it to zero minutes per day. In 2021, YouTube launched its stand-alone kids app, YouTube Kids offering robust parental controls. Healthy digital habi