The United Arab Emirates has taken a pioneering step in child digital safety by implementing regulations that ban children under 15 from owning or operating personal social media accounts. This makes the UAE the first Arab nation to enforce such a rule, aimed at shielding young users from potential online risks.
According to the newly introduced Cabinet resolution, children below 15 years will be restricted from engaging in key social media activities such as posting, commenting, sharing, and interacting with others. They will also be unable to join public groups and channels. The move mandates social media companies to establish age-verification systems within a year, moving beyond the current reliance on users’ self-reported ages.
For adolescents aged 15 and 16, social media usage remains allowable but under stricter safety protocols. These include age-specific content restrictions, limitations on interactions with unknown users, and enhanced parental controls, along with monitoring of usage time to ensure responsible engagement with digital platforms.
The UAE government emphasizes that these measures are part of a broader strategy to enhance child protection in the digital realm and to promote the responsible use of technology. Social media platforms operating within the country will also need to identify and deactivate accounts of users under 15 who attempt to bypass the new regulations.