Digital Child Abuse in Saudi Arabia: Legal Protection and Enforcement Mechanisms (Published)
Digital abuse can adversely affect the well-being and safety of children in this information age. In response, Saudi Arabia has developed legal protection and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard children. Utilizing a doctrinal legal approach, this study examines these mechanisms vis-à-vis three forms of digital abuse: psychological, sexual, and privacy. The study shows that Saudi Arabia has a multi-layered legal and institutional framework consisting of laws, regulations, and helplines (rather than a single law) to protect children and enforce legal and criminal accountability (via fines and/ or imprisonment). This framework includes the Child Protection Law (2014) and its Executive Regulations (2023), the Anti-Cyber Crime Law (2007), the Anti-Harassment Law (2018), the Personal Data Protection Law (2021), the MHRSD helpline 1919, and the NFSP child helpline 116111. The study reveals how the Saudi legal and institutional mechanisms collectively operate to protect children against abuse in the evolving digital environment. The findings can help Saudi policymakers, authorities, and stakeholders better understand and apply the mechanisms for addressing digital child abuse in Saudi Arabia.
Keywords: Legal Framework, Legal Protection, Saudi Arabia, child protection, digital child abuse, enforcement mechanism