An Examination of Iran’s Criminal Policy on the Prevention of and Criminal Response to Crimes Against Children in Cyberspace, with Emphasis on the Emerging Challenges of Smart Technologies

The rapid expansion of cyberspace has transformed the nature and scale of crimes against children, and the emergence of smart technologies has intensified this threat by automating abuse, personalizing exploitation, and embedding surveillance into children’s daily environments. This article examines Iran’s criminal policy on the prevention of and criminal response to crimes against children in cyberspace, with emphasis on the emerging challenges of smart technologies. The objective is to evaluate the adequacy of the existing normative, institutional, and technological framework and to identify the reforms required for effective child protection in the digital age. The method adopted is a doctrinal and analytical review of Iranian legislation, judicial and institutional practice, and the relevant scholarly literature, organized around the conceptual foundations of Iranian criminal policy, the architecture of prevention and criminal response, and the specific challenges posed by artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems, and the Internet of Things. In particular, the analysis draws on doctrinal scholarship, comparative studies of international instruments, and empirical research on victim reporting and institutional practice, in order to connect normative analysis with the realities of enforcement. The findings reveal three interconnected gaps. First, the substantive definitions of child, harmful content, and exploitative conduct were designed for physical-world conduct and fail to cover synthetic imagery, image manipulation, and AI-mediated grooming. Second, institutional fragmentation, evidentiary difficulties, and victim reporting barriers produce delayed and inconsistent intervention. Third, the legal framework has not yet confronted automated content production, algorithmic exposure, and smart toys, which bypass the protective function of criminalization precisely where abuse is cheapest and most scalable. The review concludes that Iran’s criminal policy is normatively engaged but technologically outdated, and that reform must rest on five pillars: technology-neutral definitions, extended liability for caregivers and platform operators, safety-by-design obligations, child-friendly evidentiary and procedural rules, and binding institutional coordination. The cost of inaction is measured not in abstract legal categories but in the safety, dignity, and development of children themselves.

کلیدواژه ها:

Child Protection ، Cybercrime Against Children ، Criminal Policy ، Smart Technologies ، Iranian Law