UAE Signs Children First AI Declaration in Paris
Dozens of countries, including the UAE, backed a pledge to shield children from untested AI models as developers committed €8 million to related research.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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The UAE signed the Children First Declaration, promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Paris Peace Forum, which aims to protect children from untested AI models. AI developers including OpenAI and Anthropic pledged €8 million ($8.9 million) for research on AI and child development.
Why it matters
The declaration reflects growing international concern that technologies such as AI may affect children's health, education and well-being before their risks are understood. The pledged funding is intended to give researchers resources to study AI's impact on child development and inform science-based policy.
The declaration sets a 2045 target for tangible results across five pillars: health, nutrition, education, protection, and psychosocial well-being in the digital age. The pledged €8 million ($8.9 million) is directed at research and tools on AI and child development, with no breakdown of allocation provided.
The players
Emmanuel Macron
President of France who promoted the declaration at the Paris Peace Forum and received a government-appointed commission's report on AI safety for children at the Elysee Palace.
OpenAI
AI developer that pledged part of the €8 million for research and tools on AI and child development.
Anthropic
AI developer that pledged part of the €8 million for research and tools on AI and child development.
The details
Dozens of countries signed the Children First Declaration, including Australia, Egypt, South Africa, Spain, Germany and the UN. The declaration was promoted at the Paris Peace Forum, an annual gathering launched by Macron in 2018, and the Child Summit established a public-private platform called the Action Hub for Children.
Timeline
The UN General Assembly session saw France, Spain, Kenya and Australia launch a children's rights coalition backed by 26 states and the UN.
The Paris Peace Conference ends Tuesday night with a dinner at the Elysee Palace.
The declaration targets tangible results by 2045.
The Tech Race
The Children First Declaration extends the Paris Peace Forum, which Macron launched in 2018 as an annual gathering, into a dedicated focus on children and AI. It arrives as the UAE becomes the first Arab state to announce a ban on social media for teenagers, placing the declaration alongside other national moves to restrict youth exposure to digital technology.
Parents and educators may see new platform rules and digital safeguards as countries adopt the declaration's protection and education pillars. The declaration does not specify changes to any product features, so the practical effect on young users will depend on how individual governments and companies act on it.
The takeaway
Parents and educators should watch for national rules and platform safeguards that follow from the Children First Declaration, since its 2045 targets will be measured through those concrete steps. Tracking which AI tools offer child-specific protections can help families make informed choices now.
What happens next
The Paris Peace Conference concludes Tuesday night with a dinner at the Elysee Palace.
Further reading
Explore more on Artificial Intelligence to see how governments and developers are approaching AI's effects on young users.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The National.
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