In recent years, as a new type of carbon dots, carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) have attracted more and more attention in many fields. In this experiment, a new kind of CPDs was synthesized by the hydrothermal treatment of the chemically cross-linked sodium alginate (SA) via glutaraldehyde. The fluorescence of CPDs was greatly enhanced because of the cross-linking enhanced emission effect. The formation process of CPDs at different reaction temperatures was explored. In addition, it was found that CPDs have stable fluorescence properties in mild acidic/basic and metal-ion environments. The in vitro toxicity of CPDs was tested, and based on their nontoxic property, SA films with anti-ultraviolet aging properties were prepared by using CPDs as the additive.