The family is the first line of defense against cybercrimes.. and monitoring every home device is impossible

The Chairman of the Cyber ​​Security Council of the UAE Government, Dr. Muhammad Al-Kuwaiti, confirmed in exclusive statements to “Emirates Al-Youm” that the family is a strategic partner in the first line of cyber defense, noting that in practice it is not possible to monitor every device in every home, so the pivotal role of the family is highlighted in conscious follow-up and activation of the available protection tools supported by the recent Cabinet decision regarding regulating children’s access to social media platforms.
In detail, Al-Kuwaiti stressed the importance of the Council of Ministers’ decision to regulate children’s access to social media platforms, in terms of protecting young people from various cybercrimes.
Al-Kuwaiti said: “We realize that young people today represent an essential front in the cyber conflict. They are exposed to a complex set of risks. On the one hand, they are a direct target of (electronic blackmail) and (digital luring) practiced by criminals who prey on their lack of experience. On the other hand, we see them at risk of systematic media misinformation, as their innocence and enthusiasm are exploited during crises to spread extremist ideas or malicious rumors aimed at destabilizing social stability.”
He added that this decision is not just a ban, but rather a reset of the digital compass. We protect our children from being unconscious tools in information wars, and we protect them from falling into the traps of cybercrimes that target their personal security and their psychological and social future, which ultimately strengthens the immunity of society as a whole.
Regarding the proposed regulatory mechanisms to ensure the commitment of social media platforms, such as “Tik Tok”, “Instagram” and others, to accurately implement the decision, Al-Kuwaiti stressed that ensuring the compliance of these platforms represents a top priority for us in the cybersecurity system, as the approach depends on requiring them to implement effective and reliable mechanisms for age verification.
He added that the results will not be limited to monitoring, but work will be done to verify the commitment of these platforms to prevent children under the age of 15 from creating accounts, and to implement enhanced protection measures for the age group between 15 and 16 years, in terms of classifying content, restricting interaction, and regulating usage times, in addition to providing effective parental control tools.
He stressed that the competent authorities have the powers to take clear and direct enforcement measures in cases of non-compliance, up to imposing administrative penalties, partial blocking, or total blocking of the platform, to ensure that the rules are strictly implemented.
Regarding the evaluation of the age verification tools offered by the platforms to ensure that they are effective and not susceptible to penetration or fraud by children, Al-Kuwaiti explained: “From a technical perspective, we confirm that mere self-certification of age is no longer acceptable at all in our standards, as the platforms will be committed to adopting advanced verification methods, such as digital identity, official identity verification, or certified estimation using biometrics and artificial intelligence capable of analyzing behavioral patterns.”
He stressed that the standards require that these mechanisms be accurate, proportionate, and designed to respect the privacy of data, so that only the necessary minimum is collected, with full care being taken to confront all attempts at technical circumvention.
He added: “The digital identity (UAE Pass) is a leading tool in our national digital system, and we encourage platforms to adopt reliable and innovative verification solutions that comply with our national standards.”
He noted that “the state’s approach focuses on obligating these platforms to implement accurate and reliable verification mechanisms, whether through digital identity or other approved solutions that ensure verification of the user’s age, with always focusing on protecting his data and privacy, and ensuring that they are not used in any intrusive censorship practices.”
Regarding how to deal with platforms or small applications that do not have regional offices or direct legal representation within the country, Al-Kuwaiti stressed that the platforms’ compliance with the laws and legislation of the UAE is not an option, but rather a prerequisite for providing their services to our users, regardless of their geographical location.
He explained that the main compliance obligations fall on the platforms themselves, including implementing age verification procedures and protecting the privacy of young users, stressing that the state has a clear supervisory framework and powers to take the necessary enforcement measures towards any platform that does not adhere to national digital security and safety standards, in a way that preserves the safety of our children and users in all circumstances.
Regarding the mechanism for confronting the fraudulent methods that some children resort to – such as using VPNs to circumvent geographic restrictions, and whether there are technical plans to limit this behavior – Al-Kuwaiti said: “Limiting fraudulent attempts is an integral part of the responsibilities of the platforms specified in the decision, as these platforms will be committed to taking reasonable steps to limit circumventing the established rules. At the same time, we rely heavily on the integration between the role of the platforms and the family’s responsibility in supervision and guidance. We do not rely on We focus on technical solutions only, but we are working in parallel to enhance digital awareness among families and young people, and provide them with the necessary tools to build healthy digital habits that contribute to protecting them from such behaviors.”
Al-Kuwaiti concluded his statements by saying: “I view the family as a strategic partner in the first line of cyber defense, and from a practical standpoint we cannot monitor every device in every home, so the family’s role is highlighted in conscious follow-up and activation of the available protection tools that are supported by the decision.
As for educational institutions, they are an essential pillar in raising the digital generation. Their role goes beyond traditional approaches to promoting digital security culture and awareness of responsible behavior on the Internet.
He stressed that this decision “establishes an integrated regulatory framework, but its actual success depends fundamentally on family awareness and the role of the school in directing young people towards the positive use of technology, and we are here to provide all support and guidance to enable them to carry out this responsibility.”