Muscat Workshop Urges Laws to Protect Children in the Digital Space

Muscat concluded the “Child-Friendly Media” workshop, where journalists and Arab experts called for strengthening the role of media in supporting and protecting children’s rights, and for enacting national legislation that balances digital opportunities with child protection across online platforms. Participants emphasized the importance of digital media literacy for children, families, and caregivers, as well as the need to create safe and engaging Arabic digital content aligned with rapid

 media developments.

The workshop concluded on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, organized by the Arab Council for Childhood and Development and Oman’s Ministry of Social Development, in partnership with the League of Arab States, the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), the Omani Ministry of Information, UNICEF Oman, and Sultan Qaboos University, with the participation of more than 30 journalists from various Omani media sectors.

The closing ceremony included the distribution of certificates under the patronage of Ma’ani bint Abdullah Al-Busaidiya, Director General of Family Development at the Ministry of Social Development, and in the presence of representatives from the Arab Council for Childhood and Development, the League of Arab States, the Ministry of Information, and UNICEF Oman.

Over three days (8–10 December), the workshop discussed key topics including children’s rights, childhood and digitalization, and presented the professional principles for Arab media coverage of children’s issues, along with a guide for correcting common misused terms related to children in the media. Participants expressed their commitment to these principles as part of their professional responsibility toward fostering child-friendly media.

This workshop is part of a series implemented in 14 Arab countries within the framework of the Arab Child Rights Media Observatory, one of the strategic projects of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development.