Dubai boy’s report of gaming lure leads police to nine other child victims

A 13-year-old Arab boy in Dubai alerted his guardian after an online gaming contact offered him in-game perks in exchange for personal photographs, and later demanded images of the boy’s sister, police said Monday.

The guardian reported the incident to Dubai Police, whose investigation identified nine other children who had allegedly been approached by the same man but had not come forward. The boy was the tenth child in the case, which was referred to the Public Prosecution, according to Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Shehhi, director of the Cybercrime Department at Dubai Police’s General Department of Criminal Investigation.

Police warn of grooming tactics

Speaking at a cyber safety session organised with Meta and content creators in conjunction with Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Al Shehhi warned that criminals exploit children’s interest in online games to build trust before making inappropriate requests. The tactic can appear across games, social media and messaging applications, he said.

“Reporting is protection for you and protection for others,” Al Shehhi said, urging families to report suspicious interactions rather than simply block an account. Offenders may pose as fellow players, befriend children and gradually seek sensitive information, police noted.

A conversation about a favourite game or hobby can lead to offers of upgrades or special privileges, followed by requests for personal details or images. Children may not recognise the person’s intentions or know their true identity, officers said.

Tips for parents and guardians

Police advised parents to monitor the games their children play, understand whom they communicate with, and explain why personal information and private photographs should never be shared with strangers. Children should tell a trusted adult if anyone threatens them, pressures them to share images, or asks them to move conversations to another platform.

Parents should preserve evidence — including screenshots and account usernames — and report suspected offences through official police channels. Blocking an account may prevent further contact, but reporting helps investigators identify other potential victims, police said.

The discussion included Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Al Shehhi, Major Khalid Tahlak, Deputy Director for Monitoring and Security Programmes; Captain Saeed Adel Al Suwaidi, Head of the Electronic Monitoring Section; and Lieutenant Ahmed Abdullah Al Shehhi, Head of the Cybercrime Prediction and Analysis Centre Section.

Platform safeguards and community role

Meta outlined Instagram’s protections for teen accounts, including private-by-default settings, restrictions on who can contact teenagers, and limits on exposure to sensitive content. Users aged 13 to 18 are automatically placed in teen accounts with a daily usage limit of one hour and a sleep mode from 10pm to 7am that switches off notifications.

Parents have greater control over settings for users aged 13 to 15, while those aged 16 to 18 have more flexibility to adjust certain restrictions. Meta reported that 97 per cent of teenagers aged 13 to 15 in teen accounts remained within the built-in limits, and 94 per cent of surveyed parents found the accounts helpful. Instagram’s parental supervision dashboard allows parents to monitor screen time, see whom their teenagers follow and who follows them, and view accounts they have interacted with through messaging in the previous seven days, but parents cannot read private messages.

Police stressed that online safety awareness must begin at home, with children taught to protect personal information, question requests from strangers, and report suspicious behaviour without fear. Officials urged media organisations and influencers to share safety advice and direct the public to official reporting channels. Parents were also advised to set clear rules for anyone caring for or working with children, including babysitters, domestic workers and private tutors.

One police official said that, in his personal view, children should ideally wait until at least 16 before becoming content creators, when they may be better equipped to understand the risks of public exposure and online interactions.