UAE expat gets jail, deportation over child's viral Snapchat video

Dubai: A woman has been sentenced to one month in prison, followed by deportation, after filming her five-year-old female relative at a family gathering and posting the video on a public Snapchat account without the child’s parents’ consent. The footage, which attracted more than 11,000 views, turned what may have been intended as an innocent family joke into a criminal case, raising serious concerns over the child’s privacy and psychological well-being.

The footage showed the five-year-old girl joking about a type of food and mispronouncing its name, drawing laughter from those around her. A relative filmed the moment and later shared the video on Snapchat. It subsequently spread across social media platforms, bringing the child into the public spotlight.

The girl’s father discovered the footage and objected to his daughter’s image being shared publicly without his consent. Concerned about the potential impact on her privacy and psychological well-being, he reported the incident to the authorities.

Following an investigation, prosecutors charged the woman with publishing images or videos of a child through an information network without authorisation and exposing the minor to bullying or conduct that could affect her psychological safety.

The charges were brought under two federal laws:

•Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes, citing Articles 1, 44/3, 56 and 59.

•Federal Law No. 3 of 2016 on Child Rights, commonly known as Wadeema's Law, citing Articles 1/6, 36, 69, 70 and 71.

The prosecution classified the offences as misdemeanours, covering both the unauthorised online publication of the child's footage and the potential harm to her emotional and psychological well-being.

The woman admitted to filming and publishing the video but denied deliberately bullying the child during court proceedings.

She argued that her Snapchat account was public and claimed the footage had spread beyond her control after she uploaded it.

However, the court found that police reports, other evidence and the defendant’s judicial confession established her responsibility for filming and publishing the video. The court ruled that sharing a child’s image without the required authorisation could amount to a criminal offence, even in the absence of harmful intent.

The court also rejected her claim that having a public Snapchat account exempted her from legal responsibility.

The woman was sentenced to one month in prison, followed by deportation from the UAE.

lawyer Rashid Bin Suwaidan, of Bin Suwaidan Advocates and Legal Consultants said the case served as a warning that even a seemingly harmless recording made during a family gathering could become a serious legal offence if shared on social media.

He clarified that legal liability is not limited to the person who filmed the incident but also extends to anyone involved in circulating the footage, including the original uploader and those who subsequently shared or republished it.

Bin Suweidan emphasised that consent to record someone does not automatically grant permission to publish the recording.

He illustrated the distinction by pointing out that permission to take a picture of someone's car does not necessarily give the person the right to share the image publicly, particularly if it reveals the vehicle's registration number.

The same principle applies to images and videos of individuals. Agreeing to be filmed or have a picture taken does not mean consenting to have the images or footage shared or published publicly.

The case highlights the protections guaranteed under Wadeema’s Law, which safeguards children’s privacy, dignity and psychological and emotional wellbeing.

It also serves as a reminder that social media account holders can be held legally accountable for content shared through their accounts, even if it was posted at another person’s request. 

Sharing photographs or videos of a child without the required consent of a parent or legal guardian can carry serious legal consequences. Those who forward, repost or otherwise circulate the material may also face liability, depending on their involvement.

What relatives may consider a harmless joke or an embarrassing family moment can quickly become a source of public humiliation for a child once the footage is shared online and spreads beyond its intended audience.

The case underscores the responsibility of parents, relatives and social media users to protect children's privacy, both online and offline. Content that appears harmless does not exempt anyone from legal responsibility if its publication infringes on a child's rights.

“A child smiling or laughing in front of a camera does not mean they have consented to having their photograph or video shared publicly,” Bin Suweidan said.