The United Arab Emirates has announced a nationwide ban on social media use for children under the age of 15, joining a growing list of countries introducing stricter regulations aimed at protecting young people online.
Under a new cabinet resolution, social media platforms will be required to identify and deactivate accounts belonging to users below the age of 15. Companies that fail to comply could face sanctions, including administrative penalties and platform restrictions.
According to the resolution, social media companies have been given a 12-month transition period to implement the new requirements.
“The resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15 years,” the state-run Emirates News Agency quoted the cabinet resolution as saying.
The directive further states:
“Children below this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms.”
Beyond preventing account creation, the new rules also restrict underage users from accessing key platform features.
According to the resolution, children under 15 will not be allowed to engage in:
“social interaction, publishing, commenting, sharing, joining public groups, open channels, or any large-scale interactive spaces.”
The UAE government said the move is part of broader efforts to regulate the digital environment and enhance online safety for minors.
The policy follows similar measures introduced in countries including Australia, United Kingdom, and Canada. Australia introduced a high-profile social media restriction for under-16s in December, while Britain has also announced plans aimed at limiting children’s exposure to online risks.
WAM reported that the UAE’s media and telecommunications regulators have been granted enforcement powers to ensure compliance with the new regulations.
The resolution states that authorities have the “authority to take all necessary measures (against social media platforms in the event of non-compliance).”
Potential penalties for non-compliant platforms include:
“warning or partial or full blocking of platforms or the imposition of applicable administrative penalties.”
