Following a similar announcement from
the U.K. earlier this week, the United Arab Emirates has set a minimum age requirement of 15 for access to all social media platforms operating in the region, while requiring the platforms to verify
users’ ages.
Based on a decision approved by the UAE cabinet on Thursday, children under the age of 15 will
no longer be able to create, use, or operate a personal social media account.
All impacted platforms will be required to
“implement all necessary technical and administrative measures to enforce this prohibition,” as well as “effective and reliable age verification mechanisms,” such as digital
identity verification and biometric tools, and parental control tools, the decision reads.
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Social platforms must
also monitor personal accounts created by children under the age of 15 in violation of the ban and take “immediate action to suspend or disable such accounts.”
The UAE’s ban was passed in response to concerns surrounding digital challenges and risks associated with exposure to inappropriate content, unsafe interactions
online, the collection of personal data, and addictive user behavior.
The country’s move to reduce
potential harms related to teen social media user comes after the UAE’s Federal Decree-Law on Child Digital Safety from 2025, which laid the groundwork for initial digital safety precautions for
children and devised a Child Digital Safety Council responsible for coordinating national child online protection efforts.
Per the ban, users ages 15 and 16 will be able to access platforms with additional safeguards, such as age-appropriate content settings, restrictions on interactions with unknown users, as
well as screen-time management and parental supervision features.
The UAE’s resolution follows similar
actions proposed and passed in Australia, Greece, Indonesia, Austria, Denmark, Slovenia, Germany, Spain,
France, various states in the U.S., Turkey, and most
recently, the U.K.
Social media companies will have up to 12 months to comply with the UAE’s new regulations.
