ABU DHABI, UAE (WAM) — 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 children, noting that the goal today is not only to provide access to technology, but also to build a generation that is digitally capable, ethically grounded and confident in navigating rapid technological change.
Through this approach, the UAE continues to consolidate its position as a leading model in protecting children’s rights and empowering them in the digital age.
Al Reem bint Abdullah Al Falasi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, said that adopting “The Right to Digital Knowledge” as the theme for this year’s Emirati Children’s Day celebrations stems from the importance of raising awareness of the rapid developments and successive breakthroughs shaping our world today, particularly in the technological field and, more specifically, in digitalisation, which has become a key and influential driver across all areas of life.
”This calls for nurturing a generation that is aware of the opportunities and challenges associated with this field, especially with regard to artificial intelligence, which is now rapidly entering various aspects of our lives and providing services and facilities that until recently were considered part of science fiction.”
She added that adopting this theme represents an advanced step in the journey of empowering children in the UAE, noting that the challenge is no longer limited to providing access to technology. Rather, it is now linked to building children’s awareness and their ability to understand, make informed choices, and participate responsibly in the digital world.
In this context, she emphasised the importance of integrating protection with empowerment, through complementary roles played by families, educational institutions, government entities and the wider community, to ensure a safe digital environment that supports children’s intellectual, moral and social development.
Al Falasi further said that celebrating Emirati Children’s Day aims to strengthen children’s self-confidence and positive digital identity, enabling them to express themselves and participate with confidence and balance. It also seeks to enhance the quality of learning and innovation through the productive use of technology to support research, exploration and problem-solving, while reducing exposure to digital risks by developing preventive awareness and the ability to report concerns and seek support when necessary.
She also stressed the importance of promoting children’s psychological and social wellbeing by reducing cyberbullying and pressures resulting from uncontrolled digital use. This also contributes to building responsible digital citizenship based on respect for societal values, laws and national responsibilities, preparing children for the future in a knowledge- and AI-driven digital economy, supporting family and educational stability through clearly defined roles between children, families and educational institutions, and fostering a culture of ethical technology use that balances innovation with responsibility.
NEWS COURTESY: WAM NEWS (www.wam.ae); Illustrated Image Used
