Parents routinely photograph their children.
Birthdays, holidays, school achievements and ordinary family moments are now documented and shared online in a way that previous generations could never have imagined.
But does being a parent create an unrestricted right to publish a child’s life on social media?
A recent Abu Dhabi court ruling suggests clearly that it does not.
In a dispute involving two parents, the court reportedly ordered photographs and videos of their children to be removed from social media and restricted further publication. Significantly, the restriction was not imposed only on the party whose conduct had been challenged. The successful party was also required to refrain from publishing the children’s images.
The reasoning reflects an increasingly important principle in UAE child protection law: a child has privacy, dignity and welfare interests that exist independently of the competing interests of either parent.
The judgment is particularly timely as the UAE strengthens its wider framework governing children in the digital environment.
What Happened in the Abu Dhabi Case?
The proceedings arose from a dispute between parents concerning the publication of photographs and videos of their children on social media.
The Abu Dhabi court ultimately ordered the removal of the children’s content and imposed restrictions intended to prevent further publication.
What makes the decision particularly significant is that the court reportedly restrained both parents.
The order was therefore not simply a remedy against one parent for inappropriate social media behaviour.
Instead, the court appears to have approached the issue from the perspective of the children themselves.
That distinction matters.
Family proceedings frequently involve competing parental claims. One parent may accuse the other of acting improperly, and the court must decide between their respective positions.
Children’s rights operate differently.
Where the child’s privacy or welfare is at stake, the question is not necessarily which parent should prevail. The court can impose restrictions on both where that is considered necessary to protect the child.
Children Have Privacy Rights of Their Own
The UAE’s Child Rights Law, commonly known as Wadeema’s Law, establishes the best interests of the child as a central consideration.
It expressly recognises the child’s right to privacy and protects children against unlawful interference with their private and family life, honour and reputation.
Parental responsibility therefore carries duties as well as authority.
Parents make countless decisions on behalf of children who are not yet capable of making those decisions independently. That does not mean the parent legally owns the child’s identity, reputation or image.
Social media creates particular difficulty because a parent can make decisions about a child’s digital identity that may continue affecting that child long after childhood ends.
A photograph uploaded when a child is four years old may still exist when that child is fourteen, twenty-four or forty-four.
What Is “Sharenting”?
The term sharenting combines “sharing” and “parenting”.
It generally describes the practice of parents publishing photographs, videos or personal information about their children online.
Much of it is entirely ordinary.
A photograph from a family holiday or birthday celebration will not automatically create a legal problem simply because a child appears in it.
The concern develops when online sharing becomes excessive, intrusive, humiliating, unsafe or inconsistent with the child’s interests.
Parents can unintentionally create a detailed digital profile containing information about a child’s:
- appearance;
- full name;
- birthday;
- school;
- home or neighbourhood;
- medical history;
- friendships;
- behaviour;
- emotional difficulties;
- daily routines; and
- private family circumstances.
Once that information is public, the parent may no longer control where it travels.
The UAE’s New Child Digital Safety Framework
The issue has become even more important following the introduction of Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2025 concerning Child Digital Safety.
The legislation creates a comprehensive framework for protecting children from risks arising in digital environments.
Its obligations extend beyond social media platforms and technology companies. Parents and other caregivers also have responsibilities concerning how children interact with and are represented online.
The framework requires caregivers to take an active role in protecting children from harmful digital practices and recognises privacy, psychological wellbeing and safe participation in online environments as child-protection issues.
This marks an important shift.
Digital child safety is no longer concerned only with what strangers or platforms may do to children.
The conduct of parents and caregivers can itself become relevant where their online activity compromises the child’s privacy, dignity or welfare.
When Can an Innocent Family Post Become Problematic?
There is no rule that parents must stop posting photographs of their children altogether.
The legal and practical risk depends heavily on the content and circumstances.
Particular caution should be exercised before publishing material revealing:
- a child’s school or regular location;
- home addresses;
- medical or psychological conditions;
- custody or family disputes;
- disciplinary problems;
- private messages;
- embarrassing incidents;
- photographs involving partial nudity;
- highly emotional moments; or
- information likely to expose the child to ridicule or bullying.
The age and maturity of the child may also become increasingly relevant.
A teenager who expressly objects to having personal photographs shared publicly presents a very different situation from an infant who cannot express a preference.
Wadeema’s Law also recognises a child’s right to express views in accordance with age and maturity.
Parents should therefore increasingly consider the child’s wishes as the child becomes capable of understanding the implications of publication.
Separation and Divorce Do Not Give Either Parent Control Over the Child’s Digital Identity
The Abu Dhabi judgment is especially important for separated parents.
Social media can become another battleground during divorce and custody disputes.
Parents may post:
- photographs designed to demonstrate closeness with the children;
- accusations concerning the other parent;
- information about custody proceedings;
- videos involving exchanges or disagreements;
- comments about maintenance or visitation; or
- material intended indirectly to influence the family dispute.
The child can easily become part of the parents’ public conflict.
UAE family law places significant emphasis on the child’s welfare and best interests. Using the child’s image or personal circumstances as part of an online dispute may therefore attract judicial scrutiny.
The recent ruling demonstrates that a court can protect the child independently of whichever parent succeeds on the broader dispute.
Winning the case does not necessarily give one parent the right to continue publishing the child.
Family Court Proceedings Should Not Become Social Media Content
Parents should be particularly cautious about discussing ongoing family proceedings publicly.
Family disputes can contain extremely sensitive information involving:
- custody;
- parentage;
- allegations between spouses;
- financial circumstances;
- psychological assessments;
- medical information; and
- details supplied by children.
Publication can harm both the proceedings and the child.
A parent may believe that telling their side publicly is necessary to defend their reputation. But the child’s privacy may outweigh the parent’s desire to explain the dispute to followers.
The better approach is generally to keep the litigation within the legal process rather than attempting to conduct a parallel case online.
Child Influencers Raise a More Complex Issue
The legal questions become more significant where publishing children is not merely personal but commercial.
Family accounts and child influencers can generate substantial income through:
- sponsorships;
- product endorsements;
- advertising;
- brand partnerships;
- affiliate links; and
- monetised video content.
In those circumstances, the child’s image becomes part of a commercial product.
This raises additional questions:
- Is publication genuinely in the child’s best interests?
- Is the child old enough to understand the commercial activity?
- How frequently is the child required to perform for content?
- Is private family life being monetised?
- Who receives the income?
- Could the content embarrass or harm the child later?
- Is the child being exposed to an audience they cannot meaningfully consent to?
The fact that parents exercise legal responsibility for a minor does not mean every form of commercial exploitation becomes acceptable.
UAE child protection principles expressly guard children against exploitation and harm, making commercial sharenting an area where considerably greater caution is warranted.
Privacy Settings Are Helpful, but Not Absolute Protection
Some parents respond to these concerns by making their accounts private.
That substantially reduces exposure, but it does not create complete control.
A photograph shared with a limited audience can still be:
- screenshot;
- downloaded;
- forwarded;
- reposted;
- stored on another device; or
- circulated outside the intended group.
Parents should therefore make the decision based on whether they are comfortable with the content potentially travelling beyond its intended audience.
The safest privacy setting cannot guarantee that a photograph will remain private forever.
Artificial Intelligence Has Increased the Risk
The modern risks associated with children’s photographs extend beyond conventional social media sharing.
Advances in artificial intelligence make it increasingly easy to:
- alter images;
- generate false images;
- create impersonations;
- extract biometric information;
- replicate faces; and
- reuse publicly available photographs in entirely different contexts.
A large collection of public childhood photographs can therefore create risks that did not exist when social media first became popular.
Parents should be particularly cautious about images showing children in vulnerable situations or revealing detailed identifying information.
What Should Parents Consider Before Posting?
A useful test is to consider the photograph from the child’s future perspective.
Before publishing, a parent might ask:
- Does this reveal where my child lives or studies?
- Does it disclose private health or family information?
- Could my child reasonably find this embarrassing later?
- Would I publish the same type of photograph of another adult without asking them?
- Has my older child objected to being posted?
- Am I sharing this for the child’s benefit or primarily for my own audience?
- Is the post part of an ongoing dispute involving the other parent?
- Is money being earned from the content?
- Would I be comfortable if the photograph were copied beyond my account?
Not every post requires legal analysis.
A few seconds of consideration can nevertheless prevent a permanent digital decision being made on behalf of someone too young to make it themselves.
Why the Abu Dhabi Ruling Matters
The significance of the recent judgment extends beyond the parents involved.
It reinforces three important principles.
First, children possess privacy interests independently of their parents.
Second, parental authority is exercised for the child’s benefit and is not an unlimited entitlement to disclose the child’s private life.
Third, courts can intervene against both parents where protecting the child requires it, regardless of which parent succeeds in the underlying proceedings.
These principles are likely to become increasingly important as an entire generation grows up with significant parts of their childhood already documented online.
Conclusion
Social media has transformed what it means to preserve family memories.
Parents can now share moments instantly with relatives and friends across the world. In most cases, that occurs with affection and without any intention to harm.
But good intentions do not eliminate the child’s independent right to privacy.
The recent Abu Dhabi ruling reinforces that parents do not have an unlimited right to publish photographs and videos simply because the person appearing in them is their child.
Under the UAE’s evolving child-protection framework, the best interests, dignity and privacy of the child remain central.
The legal principle is increasingly clear:
Parents may manage a child’s digital presence while the child is young, but that digital identity ultimately belongs to the child.
Al Kabban & Associates
For businesses seeking guidance, Al Kabban & Associates, with over 30 years of experience in UAE law and recognition by Legal 500, stands ready to help corporations build resilience against legal risks while ensuring compliance with local and international standards. For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact us at +971 4 453 9090 or visit www.alkabban.com. You can also follow us on social media for more updates on everything law related in the UAE: @Alkabban_Law
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