Criminal protection of children against all types of sexual, psychological, abuse and exploitation, etc, has become one of the most important concerns of legal systems and international human rights instruments. The expansion of communication technologies, the emergence of new methods of child victimization, and the cross-border nature of many of these crimes have doubled the need to review criminalization policies and adopt coordinated measures among governments. The “principle of the best interests of the child,” which is foreseen in Article 3 of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, is largely a guide for member states in enacting laws and regulations for criminal protection of children. The present study aims to adapt Iran’s criminal policy to international documents and compare it with the legal systems of some leading countries in the field of criminal protection of children against all types of abuse and exploitation. This study, using a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach, examines domestic laws, criminal protection of children and adolescents in line with the principle of the best interests of the child, and compares them with the laws of leading countries in this regard. The findings of the study show that although the 1399 Law on the Protection of Children and Adolescents and some other regulations,, have taken steps to strengthen criminal protection of children, there are still significant gaps and shortcomings in the criminalization of emerging behaviors such as online child grooming, production and dissemination of child sexual abuse content, online grooming, protection of children in digital labor, etc. Accordingly, the present study offers suggestions for reforming and completing Iran's criminal policy by utilizing the experiences of successful countries and complying with international standards.