Following Australia’s first-of-its-kind ban on social media for under-16s, and with more than two dozen countries considering similar measures, new global research from Family First, a Varkey Foundation initiative, shows that 63% of UAE parents support a social media ban for under-16s in their country. However, children are more divided: 45% of 9- to 18-year-olds in the UAE back a ban, while 33% are against it, and 22% are undecided. Strikingly, a large majority of Gen Z respondents in the UAE (67%) support banning social media for under-16s, the second highest after India (73%). This is particularly noteworthy given they are the first generation to have grown up with social media from childhood.

The findings come from the world’s first global intergenerational study of family bonding, surveying children, parents, Gen Z and grandparents, with the full results published in June by Family First. This will feature the world’s first Family Bonding Index, which assigns countries a score based on the strength of family connections. The initial results, launched today, highlight differences between generations in their views on banning social media for under-16s in their respective countries.

Family First is a global movement launched by the Varkey Foundation to strengthen intergenerational bonds between children, parents and grandparents, with the aim of building stronger communities across generations. Launched by Sunny Varkey, founder of GEMS Education, the movement reflects a longstanding commitment to fostering strong family values and encouraging greater support between children and parents, contributing to healthier and longer lives. It is rooted in the belief that education goes far beyond academic achievement – it shapes values and develops not only students, but future parents, future leaders, and stronger societies.

Among the countries surveyed, support for a ban among parents is highest in Malaysia (77%), India (75%), and France (74%). Japan records the lowest level of support at 38%, followed by Nigeria (39%) and the US (51%).

Globally, only 37% of children support a ban on social media for under-16s. Support for a ban among young people is highest in Malaysia (62%), India (62%), and China (50%). It is lowest in Japan (20%), Argentina, and Sweden (both 26%).

The data reveals a divide between parents and children throughout the world. In the UAE, there is an 18-point gap between children and their parents in terms of support for a social media ban for under-16s. Australia has the widest generational gap globally (34 points), followed by Sweden (33 points) and Canada (32 points).

The research also showed that the majority of Gen Z (51%) – the first true digital natives – support a social media ban for under-16s. Support for the ban is highest in India (73%), UAE (67%), and Malaysia (65%). Support for the ban is lowest in Japan (28%), UK and Canada (both 40%).

Sunny Varkey, Founder of Family First and the Varkey Foundation, said:

“This research highlights a growing tension many families are experiencing in the digital age. Parents throughout the world are increasingly concerned about the impact social media may be having on their children. Our aim with Family First is not simply to debate bans, but to start a broader conversation about how technology is shaping family relationships and the values young people grow up with. If we want stronger families tomorrow, we must help children develop healthy relationships with technology today.”

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Staying updated with the latest SEO trends is crucial for maintaining and improving your website’s visibility. Here are the top 10 SEO topics currently trending, each attracting significant attention and impressions:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning in SEO: The integration of AI and machine learning is revolutionizing SEO strategies, enabling more efficient data analysis and content optimization.

Voice Search Optimization: With the increasing use of voice-activated assistants, optimizing content for voice search is becoming essential to capture this growing segment of users.

Mobile-First Indexing: As mobile searches surpass desktop, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is critical for SEO success.

User Experience (UX) and Core Web Vitals: Google emphasizes user experience, making metrics like page loading speed and interactivity vital for rankings.

E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Establishing credibility through high-quality, authoritative content is increasingly important for search rankings.

Local SEO: Optimizing for local search is crucial for businesses aiming to attract nearby customers, especially with the rise in “near me” searches.

Video SEO: Incorporating and optimizing video content can enhance engagement and improve search visibility, aligning with the growing consumption of video media.

Zero-Click Searches: With Google’s featured snippets and answer boxes providing immediate information, optimizing content to appear in these positions is vital.

AI Overviews in Search Results: The emergence of AI-generated summaries at the top of search results is changing how users interact with search engines, necessitating new optimization strategies.

Data-Driven SEO Adjustments: Leveraging analytics to inform SEO strategies is becoming more important, especially with evolving privacy regulations and algorithm updates.

Focusing on these areas can help enhance your website’s performance and keep it aligned with current SEO best practices.

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Chrome Web Store is Google’s online store for its Chrome web browser. As of 2024, Chrome Web Store hosts about 138,000 extensions and 33,000 themes.

Enhancing your SEO efforts can be streamlined with the right Chrome extensions.

At Cyber Gear, we use most of these extensions as highly useful tools for achieving high organic rankings.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest allows you to get insight into the strategies that are working for others in your market so you can adopt them, improve them, and gain an edge.

Similarweb

With a single click, you will get in-depth traffic and engagement stats, including monthly visits trend, time on the site, pageviews, and bounce rate.

Detailed

No need to pour over the source code of a page. Get key elements presented to you at the click of a button, including a check for X-Robots HTTP headers as well.

BuzzSumo

By far the best tool for content research, link analysis, and social media investigation.

Ahrefs SEO Toolbar

This extension provides an on-page SEO report, redirects tracer, HTTP headers reader, link checker/highlighter, and a search location simulator. Ahrefs users also gain access to page, domain, and keyword metrics for visited URLs and search results.

MozBar

MozBar allows users to check SEO metrics within their browser with a single click. It provides insights such as page authority, domain authority, and link data, facilitating quick SEO analysis while browsing.

Keyword Surfer

This tool displays search volumes, cost-per-click data, and keyword suggestions directly in the Google search results, aiding in efficient keyword research without leaving the SERP.

SEOquake

Offers a comprehensive SEO analysis directly within search results. It provides metrics like keyword difficulty, page optimization scores, and SERP analysis, making it a versatile tool for on-the-go SEO insights.

Redirect Path

This extension identifies HTTP status codes such as 301, 302, 404, and 500, as well as client-side redirects like meta and JavaScript redirects, helping diagnose and fix redirect issues efficiently.

Majestic

The focus is on the backlink profile and referring domains of a “target” page or website, the data can come from many sources.

Keyword Surfer

Allows you to generate keyword ideas and see search volumes directly in Google search results.

SEO Minion

Helps you structure and optimize your Meta titles and Meta description. It also compares them with competitor sites to get the very best results.

Lighthouse

An open-source, automated tool for improving the performance, quality, and checks for SEO and accessibility performance.

These extensions can significantly enhance your SEO workflow by providing quick access to essential data and insights directly within your browser.

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The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) today revealed further details of Education 33 (E33), a groundbreaking strategy that aims to transform Dubai’s education system.

Speaking at a press conference held today at the Government of Dubai Media Office, Her Excellency Aisha Miran, Director General of KHDA said: “Education 33 reflects the forward-thinking vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to empower future generations with the skills, knowledge, and values needed to lead in an ever-evolving global environment. This landmark strategy will consolidate Dubai’s status as a global hub for education and innovation.”

Announced yesterday by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Education 33 marks a new milestone in Dubai’s efforts to create a future-ready education system.

“The new strategy aims to provide every student with a world-class education that meets the highest global standards. While rooted in Emirati values, E33 embraces the rich multiculturalism that defines our city, ensuring that both our heritage and diversity remain integral to the learning experience, Her Excellency Aisha Miran said.

Aligned with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai Social Agenda 33, the E33 strategy signals a transformative shift from a traditional, institution-centred model to a learner-centred education ecosystem. It adapts to the unique needs of every leaner, placing emphasis on a lifelong learning journey. From early childhood through to higher education and beyond, E33 seeks to ensure that every individual is equipped with the skills, opportunities, and knowledge required to succeed at every stage of life and contribute positively in a rapidly evolving job market.

E33 focuses on five strategic goals supported by 28 ‘Game Changer’ initiatives designed to transform the educational landscape across all levels in Dubai. Over the next decade, Dubai will provide truly world-leading education from early childhood to higher education and beyond, embodying the concept of lifelong education.

The strategy includes specific KPIs for each initiative leading up to 2033. These include achieving a 90% satisfaction rate among parents in the education options available in Dubai for their children and minimum 49,000 growth in seat capacity in affordable schools by 2033. The strategy also aims to add 3,000 Emirati teachers to the local workforce by 2033. E33 alsotargets a ten-fold increase in education tourism by 2033 and to attract prestigious international universities to Dubai,

“Endorsed by Dubai’s leadership, E33 will be instrumental in realising the Dubai Social Agenda goal of positioning Dubai among the world’s top 10 cities for education by 2033. Through this strategy, we are not just preparing our students for tomorrow—we are empowering them to lead it, with the knowledge and values to succeed in a globalised world,”Miran said.

The five strategic goals of E33 include: empowering Emirati students with high-quality education; providing accessible and equitable education focused on the wellbeing of diverse learners; engaging educators and parents to promote lifelong learning; positioning Dubai as a world-class learning destination; and creating an ecosystem built on research and innovation to drive impact and growth.

The strategy emphasises personalised learning journeys, nurturing critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong skills to drive both academic and personal success.

The ‘Game Changer’ initiatives include projects that focus on embedding Emirati culture and values in the education community; promoting Arabic as a language of choice; creating a personalised education journey for all learners; engaging educators and parents that nurture life-long learning; positioning Dubai among the best places to teach; growing the number of Emirati educators in private institutions; elevating quality standards of training and vocational institutes;and empowering Emirati parents to guide their children’s education journey.

The E33 strategy was developed in consultation with key stakeholders and education experts through more than 50 engagement sessions involving more than 290 educational institutions, including early childhood centres, schools, higher education institutions, and training institutes. More than 700 participants, including educators, Emirati and expatriate parents, students, wellbeing leaders, inclusion leaders, and investors shared valuable insights that helped shape the ambitious new vision.

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Information Technology has become an integral part of every company. It allows to produce, deliver and collaborate with others in a better way. Automation results in a higher level of customers’ experience, therefore, if you want to provide impeccable services to your recipients, consider the implementation of proper tools. Here are the best IT solutions for your company.

Be competitive!

Every day, medium and large business owners face challenges regarding how to optimize internal processes and function more effectively. Infinite, as an experienced team of IT specialists, offers future-oriented IT solutions in Dubai that streamline each task and change them into a resounding success. Do you want to work seamlessly? Become a solid business partner and support your employees with reliable IT tools that are tailored to your needs.

The most frequently selected solutions are:

• e-Sign – used by thousands of companies worldwide nowadays. Electronic signature became an inseparable element of every business. You can sign any document electronically via any mobile device or a dedicated platform. The e-Sign Suite offered by Infinite is recommended to medium and large companies (+50 employees) and is fully secured and law-consistent. You can sign all types of documents and significantly reduce administration costs. Perfect solution for HR and sales departments, also preferred in car rental or customer service.

• e-Invoice – when your employees are stuck between piles of invoices, you realize that there must be another solution to deal with paperwork faster. E-Invoice Suite is a powerful platform that enables to handle the process of receiving and sending invoices in a digital form. Reduced expenses, 100% data accuracy and improved cash management are only a few of multiple benefits.

• Sales Force Automation – innovative solution that streamlines any sales activities which require customer contact. SFA system is dedicated both to salespeople and sales managers who want to focus on effective work planning, sales reporting and customer service. With multiple functionalities offered by Infinite’s SFA system, you can support your sales processes and focus more on customers’ experience.

• e-Archive – in large companies it may be difficult to manage and store paper documents. E-Archive solution is another tool dedicated for your business. It offers easy 24/7 access to every document with in-built search engine, seamless sharing and simple integration with your current operational system. If you want to handle important data securely, this suite is one of the best options to choose from.

IT solutions designed by Infinite

Business environment is demanding and if you want to keep up the workflow, some IT solutions should be implemented. Infinite experts design the best IT tools that are strategically relevant in your business processes. With this innovative offer, you will get the complete picture of your company and be able to make better decisions. Are you ready for this undertaking? Automate key operations and shape a modern workplace with Infinite solutions.

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