UAE highlights 'Right to Digital Knowledge' in Emirati Children’s Day Guide 2026

The Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood has launched the Emirati Children’s Day Guide 2026, outlining this year’s theme, “The Right to Digital Knowledge,” as part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to empower children and strengthen their protection in an increasingly digital world. This guide serves as a practical reference for entities organising programmes, initiatives, and activities throughout 2026. Its purpose is to translate the theme into sustainable practices, encourage coordination among national stakeholders, and reinforce the UAE’s leadership in empowering children within a modern digital society. Observed annually on 15 March, Emirati Children’s Day is held under the directives of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (Mother of the Nation), Chairwoman of the General Women 's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation. The guide reflects the UAE’s vision of placing children at the centre of national development and preparing them for the future by equipping them with the knowledge, awareness and skills needed to navigate digital environments safely and responsibly. According to the guide, the 2026 theme marks a shift from focusing solely on access to technology toward enabling children to understand digital tools, assess online content critically, protect their privacy and identity, and engage positively in digital spaces. It positions digital knowledge as a core component of children’s learning, creativity and participation in modern society. The document notes that children in the UAE are growing up in an advanced digital environment shaped by artificial intelligence, interactive applications, online education and digital services. In line with this transformation, the country has taken early steps to prepare future generations, including the introduction of artificial intelligence in government school curricula from kindergarten to Grade 12 beginning with the 2025–2026 academic year. At the same time, the guide points to the growing challenges associated with digital expansion, including children’s exposure to inappropriate content, misinformation, cyberbullying, exploitation and privacy violations. It cites data showing that around 72 percent of children aged 8 to 12 use smartphones daily, underlining the deep integration of digital life into children’s everyday routines. The guide stresses that the challenge is no longer ensuring access to technology, but rather enabling children to understand it and interact with it consciously and responsibly. In this context, the “right to digital knowledge” is presented as a comprehensive concept that includes critical thinking, verifying information, understanding algorithms and artificial intelligence, protecting personal data, and practising ethical and respectful behaviour online. It also sets out the main objectives of Emirati Children’s Day 2026, including strengthening children’s digital knowledge, enhancing their critical judgement, protecting privacy and digital identity, increasing the readiness of families and educational institutions to provide effective guidance, and promoting a coordinated national approach among all stakeholders. The guide emphasises that promoting children’s right to digital knowledge is a shared national responsibility, requiring the participation of government entities, schools, universities, families, digital platforms, media institutions, community organisations and children themselves. It further outlines a national framework based on child protection, proactive prevention, privacy and data governance, safe access to information, advanced digital empowerment, and institutional coordination. This framework aligns with UAE legislation, including Wadeema’s Law, the Child Digital Safety Law, the Personal Data Protection Law, and the Law on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes, in addition to the country’s international commitments to child rights. The guide also presents a set of implementation proposals to help institutions translate the annual theme into practical initiatives throughout 2026. These include family awareness workshops, school-based digital citizenship programmes, training for teachers, extracurricular activities such as robotics and innovation clubs, fact-checking challenges, digital storytelling sessions, and student-led initiatives promoting responsible online behaviour. In addition, the guide provides for the annual recognition of outstanding initiatives that successfully advance the objectives of the theme. Awards will honour achievements in categories such as child-led initiatives, responsible digital environments, educational programmes in digital knowledge, technological innovation supporting children’s digital understanding, and distinguished media content highlighting Emirati Children’s Day. The guide concludes that the “Right to Digital Knowledge” represents an advanced step in the UAE’s efforts to empower chil