As we mark Safer Internet Day 2026, we’re reflecting on a simple but enduring principle: safety must be designed into online services, not bolted on. Microsoft’s work in this space spans more than two decades—from technology solutions like PhotoDNA to our investments in responsible gaming, public-private partnerships, and empowering users through education. This foundation guides our approach as we help individuals and families navigate a rapidly evolving landscape shaped by new technologies and new risks and as we innovate with next-generation AI offerings. At a moment when 91% of people tell us they worry about harms introduced by AI, our commitment to responsible innovation has never been more important—especially for our youngest users.

Read on for more about our longstanding efforts to create a safer digital environment, plus key findings from our Global Online Safety Survey and new examples of our work to empower families and communities through tools, research, and educational resources—including the latest release in Minecraft Education’s CyberSafe series.  

Ten years of safety research 

2026 marks the tenth year of our annual Global Online Safety Survey research. For a decade, we have invested in surveying teens and adults around the world about their experiences and perceptions of life online—aiming to provide fresh insights to support our collective work. That’s 130,000+ interviews across 37 countries, with the results available on our website. Ten years later, respondents tell us that they feel more connected and more productive, but less safe online.  

This year’s Global Online Safety Survey also highlights the complexity of the digital environment young people now inhabit. Teens’ exposure to risk rose again, with hate speech (35%), scams (29%), and cyberbullying (23%) among the most commonly experienced harms. At the same time, teens demonstrated striking resilience: 72% talked to someone after experiencing a risk, and reporting behavior increased for the second consecutive year. But worries about the misuse of AI continue, underscoring again why safety-by-design for AI is essential, not optional. Find the full results and country-level summaries here. 

Year on year, the research has told a story of evolving online safety risks and of the real-world impact. In 2026, the call to action is more urgent than ever—unless industry can deliver safe and age-appropriate experiences, young people risk losing access to technology. At Microsoft, spanning across our teams from Windows to Xbox, we have sought to continuously evolve our approach and to lead industry in advancing tailored and thoughtful safety solutions.   

Evolving to meet the moment 

Looking ahead, we know we need to continue to build strong guardrails to tackle acute risks and to leverage our experience while being informed by new research, new perspectives, and new technologies. The application process closed yesterday for our first AI Futures Youth Council, to be comprised of teens from across the US and EU. We’re looking forward to bringing those teens together soon for a first meeting to get their direct feedback on the role they want emerging technology to play in their lives and how we can best support their safety.  

Microsoft has partnered with Cyberlite on a second youth-centered initiative to understand how teens aged 13–17 are engaging with AI companions. Through codesign workshops with students in India and Singapore, we’re capturing young people’s own perspectives on the benefits, risks, and emotional dimensions of AI use—insights that will directly inform educational resources for teens, parents, and educators. Early findings from the first workshop in December 2025 show that young people value AI as a judgment free space while also recognizing the tradeoffs: privacy risks, overreliance, and erosion of critical thinking loom larger for them than bad advice.  

We’re also thinking about how we define safety in the next era of Windows, leveraging the Family Safety controls that have been integrated for over a decade. As many countries have raised the local age for digital consent, more parents will have the option to enable parental controls for teens up to the age of 18—leveraging these tools as part of a holistic approach to digital parenting. And to help parents set up and understand Family Safety, we’ve developed a short new guide. 

Safety is also about transparency, empowerment, and education. At Xbox, bringing the joy of gaming to everyone means remaining transparent about the many ways we innovate so players, parents, and caregivers can feel confident that Xbox continues to be a place for positive play. You can read more about our recently published Xbox Transparency Report and the tools and resources available to players on the Xbox Wire blog.  

We’re also excited to announce the latest release in Minecraft Education’s CyberSafe series: CyberSafe: Bad Connection? This series of immersive Minecraft worlds and educational resources is free and helps translate complex risks into fun learning experiences that meet young people in their favorite blocky world. Bad Connection?—the fifth in the series—reflects our commitment to evolving to meet new and challenging risks, with a focus on tackling serious risks related to online recruitment and radicalization. Learn more about how to access this new Minecraft world here.  

The CyberSafe series has reached more than 80 million downloads since 2022 through a partnership between Minecraft Education, Xbox, and Microsoft, helping a generation of young players build the agency, resilience, and digital citizenship they need to navigate an increasingly online world. As part of our commitment to ensure people have the knowledge and skills they need to benefit from technology and stay safe, Microsoft Elevate is empowering educators and students with tools and guidance to build safer, more responsible digital habits, recognizing that AI is transforming how people learn, work, and connect. Our commitment to helping young people access technology safely is also why we’ve partnered with organizations, like the National 4-H Council to prepare young people for an AI-powered world through AI literacy and digital safety curriculum and game-based learning with Minecraft Education. 

As we look ahead, our goal is clear: build technology that is safe by design, guided by evidence, and informed through partnership. The internet has changed profoundly over the past decade, and so too have the expectations of the people who use it. Safer Internet Day is a reminder that progress requires sustained collaboration across industry, civil society, researchers, and families.

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Global Online Safety Survey Methodology  

Microsoft has published annual research since 2016 that surveys how people of varying ages use and view online technology. This latest consumer-based report is based on a survey of nearly 15,000 teens (13–17) and adults that was conducted this past summer in 15 countries examining people’s attitudes and perceptions about online safety tools and interactions. Responses to online safety differ depending on the country. Full results can be accessed here.  

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Eighty years ago, the first United Nations General Assembly convened in London, marking the start of a new era of global cooperation. Today, the context in which the UN operates has changed significantly. The UN system is being asked to deliver results with greater speed and precision, often amid tightening resources and growing demands. In response, the UN is advancing reforms to become more agile, accountable, and efficient.

The UN80 initiative, launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is about making the UN system fit for the future, strengthening its resilience, responsiveness, and capacity for innovation across humanitarian response, development, and international security.

Leaning in at a pivotal time

We are at a unique moment in history, the AI era, where digital and AI technologies can fundamentally reshape how large, complex institutions deliver for people around the world. For the UN, this is an opportunity not only to strengthen core systems such as procurement, service delivery, and supply chain management, but to reimagine how it meets the needs of constituents with greater speed, scale, and impact. Microsoft can support this moment by helping build the digital and AI foundations needed to modernize operations and unlock new solutions to global challenges at a scale not previously possible.

Our commitment to UN80

In December, all 193 Member States reached agreement on a package of measures to ensure financial stability and enhance efficiency across the UN system. Following that, and in the spirit of the US Government’s recent $2 billion contribution to fund humanitarian aid, Microsoft is announcing a pledge designed to support the UN system holistically. We hope that our pledge will inspire further action and help catalyze broader private sector resources and expertise. Microsoft’s UN80 pledge is structured around four pillars.

1. A UN80 innovation fund
2. Affordable pricing tailored for the UN
3. AI training and readiness for UN staff
4. Mobilizing private sector partners

Together, these commitments are intended to support the organization’s efforts to become more agile, efficient, and transparent through concrete action and investment. We describe each pillar in more detail below.

1.A UN80 innovation fund

Microsoft is committing a multi-million-dollar investment to establish an innovation fund that will support priority UN80 initiatives, particularly where AI and digital technologies can accelerate outcomes. This fund is designed to be collective, open to other private sector partners’ contributions, and focused on practical projects that strengthen UN capabilities and delivery.

2.Affordable pricing tailored for the UN

Microsoft is making a pricing commitment designed to improve affordability for the UN system. As part of this commitment, Microsoft will provide a specialized UN80 offer through June 2027 to  improve affordability and help address financial constraints. Access to secure, modern digital tools is foundational to the UN’s ability to operate effectively across geographies and mandates.

3.AI training and readiness for all UN staff

We will make available free digital and AI literacy training and credentials to all UN staff. This includes training on the capabilities needed to adopt and scale technology responsibly across UN agencies, missions, and offices.

4.Mobilizing private sector partners

Microsoft is committing to bring together partners to align resources, expertise, and innovation in support of UN80 priorities. EY is taking a leadership position in the industry as the first partner to join this coalition, making a similar pledge to contribute their expertise and capacity in support of UN80-aligned initiatives. EY brings deep experience across the UN system as well as across multiple industries—expertise that will be invaluable in shaping new initiatives and collaborations to strengthen the capabilities needed to meet the UN80 commitments. Together, Microsoft and EY are working to anchor this early private-sector coalition in shared purpose and equip the UN with the tools and capabilities to advance reform at scale.

Building on a foundation of impact

This commitment builds on years of concrete collaboration where technology and partnerships have strengthened core UN systems. Through our work with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), we’ve helped advance digital learning platforms that have reached millions of children worldwide, ensuring equitable access to education even in the most challenging circumstances. Our engagement with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has supported global connectivity initiatives, helping bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive access to technology. In humanitarian settings, our work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is advancing AI-powered transcription, translation, and summarization to make refugee onboarding faster and more accessible in some of the world’s toughest environments.

Together with Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab and GitHub, UNHCR has also modernized mapping for the Kakuma refugee camp, enabling humanitarian teams to deliver aid more efficiently, plan infrastructure with precision, and uphold safety and dignity for over 300,000 displaced individuals. We partnered with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Training Centre of the ILO through the Women in Digital Business initiative to equip women entrepreneurs with digital and AI skills—opening doors to growth, reaching new markets, and strengthening economic impact. In remote communities like Kaswanga in Rusinga Island, these tools are breaking barriers and rewriting futures as women turn local crafts and produce into nationwide businesses.

Together, these efforts show how responsible innovation can strengthen the UN’s ability to deliver at scale.

How we will support delivery

To support effective execution of these commitments, Microsoft is standing up a dedicated UN80 engagement team to serve as a point of contact for UN counterparts. This team will engage with UN leadership to help align priorities, coordinate partner contributions, and support the effective deployment of resources as the UN80 initiative takes shape.

UN80 provides an opportunity to build on this foundation and scale what works across the system.

As the UN enters its next 80 years, Microsoft stands with the organization as a committed partner, investing in the systems and capabilities needed to deliver in a changing world. Our hope is that UN80 is more than an aspiration, and that it promotes modernization, accountability, transparency, and efficiency for years to come.

UN does not endorse any company, brand, organization, product or service.

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To prepare the United Arab Emirates’ next generation for an AI-driven workforce, today we’re providing an update on our ambitious commitment to skill one million people across the UAE with an expansion of our global skilling initiative, Microsoft Elevate.

With Microsoft Elevate UAE we are making significant progress toward our goal with programs that will equip more than 250,000 students, staff, and faculty and more than 55,000 government employees with in-demand AI skills. Through sustained programs and new partnerships, Microsoft Elevate is providing advanced AI tools, in-demand credentials and comprehensive training to the region as we continue to work together to provide growth and opportunity for all.

As we shared earlier this week, Microsoft will invest USD 15.2 billion in the UAE before the end of this decade in a sustained commitment that brings together technology, talent, and trust to help the nation seize the opportunities of the AI era.

Together we will continue to ensure the region is uniquely positioned to harness this pivotal moment and remain at the forefront of AI use and innovation.

Advancing AI skills for the UAE’s next generation

As an update to our broader commitment to drive AI literacy and readiness across the UAE, Microsoft is announcing new partnerships with leading educational institutions and nonprofits to equip educators and students with essential AI skills and valuable credentials.

In close collaboration with the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications over the next year, we will provide training for more than 30,000 educators and 70,000 students across the UAE to ensure technology adoption is broad-based and that students are equipped to become leaders in AI for the future. Moreover, our technical graduate skilling program will upskill Emirati graduates, empowering them with the expertise needed to develop and train future AI models.

Our work with GEMS, the largest private school provider in the UAE, is embedding AI skills into all its schools and expanding training programs for 10,000 teachers and 150,000 students. This includes custom-built AI agents, Copilot workshops, and AI fluency programs for teachers, administrators, and students. Because preparing the future workforce starts with skilling educators, we are also focused on AI teacher readiness, with Copilot and Learning Accelerator access for almost 10,000 teachers and students in private schools across the UAE.

Through partnerships with nonprofits like INJAZ UAE, we are delivering AI Fundamentals courses to the UAE. The Skills Spot platform hosts signature courses for students, educators, and developers, credentialing over 58,000 learners in foundational AI skills, digital safety, and practical applications.

And in higher education, Microsoft has partnered with leading UAE institutions to deliver impactful skilling programs that empower both students and educators. Through collaborations such as the partnership with MBZUAI, which was awarded a Microsoft Economic AI Institute research fellowship, Microsoft is advancing AI literacy and research in the region. Microsoft has also established agreements focused on training with the Higher Colleges of Technology and UAE University. These programs are designed to equip participants with cutting-edge knowledge in artificial intelligence and digital skills, fostering innovation and enhancing the competitiveness of the UAE’s academic community. By investing in these trainings, Microsoft is helping to build a robust talent pipeline that supports the nation’s vision for a knowledge-based economy and positions graduates and educators to thrive.

Credentialing 55,000 UAE government employees and empowering future leaders

Last year, Microsoft partnered with UAE government entities to launch an initiative to upskill 120,000 government employees across the Federal Government, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.

Today, we are announcing the next phase in our goal to equip public sector teams with AI skills that will help transform services, drive innovation, and prepare the workforce for the future

In partnership with G42, we have developed three specialized courses for government employees, delivered through the JAHIZ platform to ensure federal workers have a front-row seat in advancing their skills. This ambitious upskilling initiative for UAE federal government workers is designed to provide both foundational knowledge and real-world applications of AI for the public sector, with the goal of credentialing 55,000 federal employees over the next year. This investment in human capital will help ensure the UAE’s government is equipped to lead in digital transformation and meet the challenges of tomorrow with confidence.

We also know that preparing leaders for the future means going beyond technical skills. That’s why we continue to offer high-impact, in-person leadership development programs for government executives, CEOs, and senior decision-makers. Developed last year in collaboration with INSEAD, these tracks focus on strategic thinking, digital transformation, and the responsible adoption of AI. By building leadership capacity and fostering innovation, we are helping government entities across the UAE embrace change and realize the full potential of AI for the benefit of all. To date, we have partnered with INSEAD and learning partners locally to train 1,200 senior leaders across the UAE government and are proud to continue this effort to help strengthen the UAE’s position as a global leader in responsible AI governance.

Microsoft Elevate: A promise to the UAE

As AI and digital transformation reshape the world, closing the digital divide and expanding opportunities for all require collaboration across government, education, civil society, and industry. That’s why skilling is at the core of our commitment.

The UAE stands out as a leader in AI adoption, according to Microsoft’s AI Diffusion Technical Report. Yet, a significant skills gap remains, with more than 40% of working-age adults not yet using AI in the region. Initiatives like those we announced today in partnership with the Ministry of Education and others will continue to help address these gaps—and we are not done.

At Microsoft, we look forward to continuing our three decades of partnership across the region and bringing our capacity-building programs to the UAE through Microsoft Elevate. Our work together with local partners is not just a program; it is a promise to support the nation’s vision, empower its people, and help create universal opportunity.

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