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Global Praise for the UAE's Leadership in Protecting Children from the Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

A report published by the Indian magazine "The Week" praised the UAE's policies in protecting children, highlighting the new school regulations that include a key clause prohibiting the use of generative artificial intelligence (GI) tools by students under the age of 13.

The UAE Ministry of Education had recently established strict guidelines to regulate the use of generative AI tools within the school environment, emphasizing the prohibition of their use by students under 13. This measure aims to protect student safety, maintain academic integrity, and ensure adherence to the laws and cultural values adopted in the UAE.

According to "The Week" report, the UAE is among the most successful countries in artificial intelligence technologies globally and stands out as a global leader in introducing important regulatory frameworks to control the use of AI.

Special Attention to Young Learners

According to the report, school regulations in the UAE pay particular attention to children under 13 years old. A key provision prohibits the use of generative artificial intelligence (GI) tools by students in this age group. This measure is presented as a way to protect young learners from potential educational or behavioral risks, while preserving early-stage learning, which relies on interaction, creativity, and the development of independent skills.

The framework mandates the use of generative AI only in educational settings and under teacher supervision. The guidelines also explicitly prohibit the use of generative AI during examinations. Schools are further instructed to ensure that AI tools are not used for copying, cheating, or circumventing assessment requirements.

Legal Responsibility

The regulations hold parents and legal guardians legally responsible for their children’s online activities, as well as imposing a multi-layered set of obligations on both technology platforms and internet service providers.

Technology platforms are required to automatically set the highest privacy settings for accounts belonging to children (under 18) upon creation. Collecting, processing, or sharing the personal data of children under 13 without parental consent is strictly prohibited. The platforms are also required to provide parents with the ability to set daily usage limits, enforce break times, and link accounts for live monitoring.