UAE bans social media for children under 15, sets age verification rules

The Cabinet, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has issued a decision regulating children's access to social media platforms. The decision comes in light of the expansion of children's use of social media platforms and the associated increasing digital challenges and risks, including exposure to inappropriate content. The resolution allows social media platforms to progressively implement the new standards through a transitional period of up to 12 months, in coordination with the relevant authorities, ensuring technical and regulatory readiness. Key provisions of the resolution include: Children under the age of 15 are prohibited from creating or using personal accounts on social media platforms and shall not be permitted to access their full features. Providing children between the ages of 15 and 16 with regulated and safe access to platforms subject to age-appropriate content classification, restricted interaction, regulated usage time, and parental controls. Platforms are required to implement accurate and reliable age verification mechanisms. Parental consent shall not constitute a valid exemption from the prohibitions or restrictions set out in the resolution. Platforms are required to monitor non-compliant accounts and take immediate action to enforce compliance. Prohibition of the use or processing of children's personal data for commercial purposes based on the tracking of their digital activities. Caregivers are responsible for actively supervising their child's permitted digital activity and promoting awareness of safe and responsible online practices. The resolution provides families with a clear framework and practical tools to help guide children toward more responsible and mindful digital engagement. Child protection in digital space The resolution reflects the UAE's commitment to establishing an advanced model for child protection in the digital space, reinforcing the national digital safety framework in line with the rapid evolution of technology use, and striking a balance between enabling responsible use of modern technologies and ensuring the highest standards of child protection. The resolution comes amid the growing use of social media platforms by children and the increasing digital challenges and risks associated with such use, including exposure to inappropriate content, unsafe interactions, the collection of personal data, and patterns of excessive usage. This necessitates the development of an integrated national framework that enables children to benefit from technology while ensuring their protection in the digital environment, and reflects the UAE's proactive approach in developing advanced legislative models that keep pace with global digital transformations and place child safety among its priorities. Integrated framework The resolution forms part of an integrated legislative framework encompassing the Child Rights Law, legislation on combating cybercrimes, personal data protection, media regulation, and child digital safety, thereby reinforcing institutional integration and entrenching a proactive and comprehensive approach to child protection in the digital environment. The resolution applies to all social media platforms that enable users to create accounts or personal profiles, engage in social interaction, publish or share content, or that rely on algorithmic systems to display, rank, or recommend content, whether free or paid. It applies to all platforms whose services are available within the UAE or are directed at users in the country. The resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15 years. Children below this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms, and are prohibited from accessing the full features of such platforms, including social interaction, publishing, commenting, sharing, joining public groups, open channels, or any large-scale interactive spaces. Platforms are required to implement all necessary technical and administrative measures to enforce this prohibition. The resolution also takes into account the gradual transition toward healthier and more balanced digital habits, in a manner that aligns with the different age groups of children and adolescents. Children between ages of 15-16 Children between the ages of 15 and 16 are permitted to use social media platforms, subject to enhanced protective measures applied to their accounts. These measures include age-appropriate content classification and restriction, disabling high-risk features such as interaction with unknown users, regulation of usage time and duration, and the provision of parental control tools, ensuring a safe digital environment appropriate to their age. The resolution explicitly provides that parental consent shall not constitute a valid exemption from the prohibitions or restrictions set out therein. It further permits the chi