New school year, new digital risks: How UAE parents can spot scams, deepfakes and cyberbullying
UAE experts urge parents to make back-to-school a digital safety reset
We didn’t use AI, in our days. We were just wrong, confident and proud. Why not?
Without AI, our own imagination could convince us that Enid Blyton wrote Great Expectations, until the teacher would give us a verbal rap on our knuckles and we were humbled into rewrites. (Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations, five times on the page, if you please).
Millennial parents are currently in ‘in our days’ mood, after seeing the advance of AI, and for good reason. The latest struggles don’t just mean sitting your child down to understand the complexities of the Pythagoras theorem, it also includes keeping a sharp eye on the internet usage.
So, as parents ready themselves for the back-to-school season that is slowly beginning to dawn in a few weeks, there’s a lot to note.
And the risks are changing quickly. As Rashed Al-Momani, General Manager- Middle East at Kaspersky notes, while the use of digital technologies is instructive, it also exposes children to a range of online risks. As a father first, and cybersecurity leader second, he shares his observations regarding some of the biggest challenges: “Oversharing personal information, exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, online scams, unsafe interactions with strangers, and the growing spread of misinformation through AI-powered and social platforms,” he names just a few of them.
Moreover, AI, has clawed its way into children’s digital lives. From Al-Momani’s own research, children's online behaviour shows that AI applications and services are now among the most searched categories by children globally.
In other words, parents are not just trying to keep children away from parents online anymore. They also need to teach children what information to provide to an AI chatbot, or whether an whether an answer generated by AI can be trusted and how to tell a convincing fake from something real.
The threat may look like someone you know
Cyber dangers aren’t just connected to complicated cyberattacks. They can also boil down to psychological manipulation, and that shows up in the form of phishing.
Mohammed AbuKhater, Vice President and Managing Director for F5 Middle East, Türkiye and Africa, F5, explains why. “The biggest threat these days isn't some complex hacking scheme; it’s psychological manipulation,” he says. “Phishing and social engineering attacks have become highly convincing because scammers use the very information we share online to make their traps look genuine.”
This becomes particularly crucial for children, whose school names, uniforms, locations, hobbies and friendships can all be visible online.
The biggest threat these days isn't some complex hacking scheme; it’s psychological manipulation. Phishing and social engineering attacks have become highly convincing because scammers use the very information we share online to make their traps look genuine.
Online attacks are far more sophisticated
The threats are a lot more complicated now.
As Subhajeet Singha, Senior Security Researcher at Acronis TRU, social engineering, explains, targeting minors has become more sophisticated; threat actors use AI-generated voice and video to impersonate classmates, teachers, or school administrators.
There is also a school-specific vulnerability parents may not immediately consider. Credential phishing campaigns now target school portal logins, as a compromised student account gives the attacks into the school’s broader infrastructure.
And then there is the information already floating around online. “Beyond that, data broker exposure is a growing concern: children's personal data — full names, school names, locations, circulates on the open web through breached EdTech platforms and poorly secured school apps,” Singha says.
The risks can look deceptively normal, and that is precisely the worrying aspect, as Ankita Garg, a parent, Founder and Program Director of Founder Mode Bootcamp, notes.
Even an innocent back-to-school photo can reveal more than intended. It could bare the school name, uniform without realising it, Garg adds.
It is also important to review privacy and account settings. Parents should check which apps have access to the camera, microphone, location, contacts and photos, and whether those permissions are genuinely necessary. They should also make sure that important accounts are protected with strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication...
The back-to-school digital check-up
Before the first day, parents may want to do more than check whether the laptop still switches on.
Start with the basics, as AbuKhater recommends. Operating systems, apps, browsers and software should all be fully updated. Review the installed apps, and remove anything unfamiliar, unnecessary or downloaded from unofficial sources.
Check the privacy settings: See which apps have access to the camera, microphone, location, contacts and photos, and whether those permissions are genuinely necessary.
Singha recommends going through the device together with the child rather than turning it into a secret inspection. “Delete apps they no longer use or don't recognize. Update everything, the operating system, apps, browsers, because outdated software is the easiest way for something to go wrong,” he says.
Parents should also check the lock screen, app permissions and which accounts are signed in. For school devices, Singha says children should not accidentally remain logged into personal accounts that could expose private photos or messages in a classroom setting. “It doesn't take an IT background; just sit down with the device for 20 minutes and look at what's on it,” he says.
The check needs to be collaborative, rather than done secretly, which could drive a wedge between children and parents. Garg adds, “Review privacy settings, who can contact them, location sharing, camera and microphone permissions, passwords and the apps they are actually using, including gaming, messaging and AI tools.”
The point, she says, is not just to impose restrictions but to help children understand why those settings matter.
Go through the device together with your child. Delete apps they no longer use or don't recognise. Update everything — the operating system, apps, browsers, because outdated software is the easiest way for something to go wrong. Make sure the device has a proper lock screen, not something a classmate can guess in two tries. Check which apps have access to the camera, microphone, and location, and turn off anything that doesn't need it...
Teach them what to do when something goes wrong
The strongest parental control may still be trust. If something online feels off needs to become something a child can say without immediately fearing that their phone will be confiscated.
As the experts agree: As the experts agree, the best defence is open communication, and that needs to come before software. “You want to create an environment where your child isn't afraid to come to you when something goes wrong online.”
So, practise scenarios, before they happen, suggests Garg. “Ask, ‘What would you do if someone you don’t know messaged you?’ or ‘What if someone told you not to tell your parents?’”
She adds: “I also think children need to hear very clearly: you will not get into trouble for coming to me.” Children need to understand that anyone online can pretend to be someone they are not, while urgency and emotional pressure are red flags.
For cyberbullying, Singha recommends teaching children to document incidents, including screenshots with timestamps, and use platform reporting tools.
For scams, his rule is equally straightforward: “If someone you don't know asks you to click a link, send money, share a code, or keep a conversation secret from your parents, it's a scam until proven otherwise.”
What works best, both at home and with the young people I work with, is practising scenarios before something happens. Ask, “What would you do if someone you don’t know messaged you?” or “What if someone told you not to tell your parents?” I also think children need to hear very clearly: you will not get into trouble for coming to me. Fear of losing their phone can sometimes stop children from asking for help when they need it most...
Then came AI
As a parent, you might believe that using AI to write homework is upsetting: But the concern also goes beyond just homework. It’s the fact that AI can be confidently wrong. As any common Reddit thread will tell you, AI can lead you on a wild joyride and invent places, names and events that never happened. And the fallout from that can be far worse than getting low marks for your own imagination.
If something online feels off needs to become something a child can say without immediately fearing that their phone will be confiscated. As Michael Connor, Head of Primary and Digital Lead, Nord Anglia International School Abu Dhabi explains, these situations before they happen can make a real difference. “Children need to recognise when behaviour crosses a line, whether that’s bullying, pressure to share something, a suspicious message, or contact from someone they don’t know.”
Moreover, as AbuKhater says, “Kids need to understand that whatever they type into an AI tool isn't guaranteed to stay private. They should never feed an AI their personal details, passwords, private chats, or photos.”
Singha calls data leakage ‘the biggest risk most parents overlook’. “When a child pastes an essay, personal notes, or homework containing personal details into a free AI chatbot, that data may be logged, used for model training, or stored in ways that are not transparent,” he says.
Parents need to recognise that children may use AI for much more than homework. A chatbot can begin to feel like a friend precisely because it is always available and appears willing to listen.
The solution is not to ban AI. “It is teaching children not to share sensitive information, to question AI-generated answers, and to remember that an AI tool can be helpful without being a trusted human relationship.”
The idea: Guide children while maintaining a relationship in which they can ask for help.
Children need to recognise when behaviour crosses a line, whether that’s bullying, pressure to share something, a suspicious message, or contact from someone they don’t know...
Five rules worth remembering
The experts broadly agree that children do not need a 40-page cybersecurity manual before school starts. They need a handful of rules they can actually remember.
Al-Momani recommends avoiding the sharing of personal information, using strong passwords, thinking twice before clicking links, downloading apps only from trusted sources, verifying information and being respectful online.
Singha reduces it to five:
Never share passwords with anyone, including friends. Not even ‘temporarily.’
If a message or request feels off, trust that instinct and tell a parent or teacher.
Anything you post or send online can be screenshotted and shared permanently. Act accordingly.
School accounts are for school. Don't reuse those passwords on gaming or social media accounts, and don't sign up for random services with your school email.
Free apps and tools aren't free. If you're not paying for a product, your data is the product. Before installing anything new, check with a parent first.
Garg keeps her version equally simple: “Protect your passwords and personal information; think before you post; don’t automatically trust what you see or who contacts you online; and if anything makes you uncomfortable, stop and tell an adult.”
Finally, the back-to-school digital conversation is less about controlling every click and more about preparing children for the moments when a parent isn't watching.
“As our children become more digitally independent, we cannot supervise every click,” Garg says. “Our job is to give them the judgement and confidence to make safer choices when we are not around.”
And perhaps that is the biggest difference between our childhood back-to-school worries and theirs.
We worried about red circles in our homework.
Today's parents have to worry about the invisible ones, the links, messages, permissions, passwords and prompts that can follow a child far beyond the classroom.
