UAE child-safety authorities have issued fresh warnings to parents about unsupervised use of delivery and shopping apps, after reports of children placing orders, accepting deliveries and racking up charges without adult approval (per Gulf News).
Scale of the problem
The UAE Cyber Security Council has said that nearly 31 per cent of parents in the country have suffered financial losses as a result of unauthorised purchases made by their children online, with online games and in-app stores cited as the most common channels (per Gulf News). The council warned that the same payment methods stored for in-game purchases are often the gateway to wider e-commerce spending.
The Sharjah-based Child Safety Department said it had received cases of children as young as primary-school age placing orders for food, toys and electronics on parent phones, then attempting to receive the deliveries unsupervised when riders arrived (per Khaleej Times). Officials described the trend as a safety risk as well as a financial one, because it puts children in direct contact with strangers at the door.
What the law now requires
Under Article 13 of Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2025 on Child Digital Safety, which came into force on 1 January 2026, parents and caregivers are legally required to monitor the online and digital activities of children in their care (per UAE Legislation portal). That includes supervising e-commerce and delivery accounts that hold stored card details.
Pinsent Masons noted that the new framework also places fresh obligations on platforms that serve UAE users, including stronger age-assurance and parental-control features (per Pinsent Masons). Non-compliance by either parents or operators can attract administrative penalties.
What experts recommend
The Child Safety Organisation has urged families to set clear household rules covering delivery and shopping apps, including a requirement that no purchase or address change be made without parental approval and that a trusted adult always be present when a courier arrives (per Khaleej Times).
Cybersecurity officials further advise switching off one-tap payments, enabling app-store purchase passwords, using separate child profiles where available, and reviewing recent orders weekly. They stressed that the goal is not to ban children from technology but to ensure that financial controls match the level of access children already have to family devices.
