UAE bans children under 15 from using social media

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced a social media ban for children under 15, becoming one of several countries introducing age restrictions on social media use.

The decision was announced on Thursday through a cabinet resolution, which sets new rules for social media access by minors across the UAE.

According to the resolution, social media platforms will be required to monitor and disable accounts created by users younger than 15 years old. 

Companies that fail to comply could face penalties, including restrictions on their services. Platforms have been given a 12-month transition period to implement the new measures.

“The resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15 years,” the official WAM news agency said, citing the cabinet resolution.

“Children below this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms.”

The new rules also limit how children under 15 can interact online. They are barred 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”, it said.

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The UAE joins a growing list of countries taking steps to regulate children’s access to social media. 

Tribune Online reports that Australia introduced a social media ban for users under 16 in December, while Britain announced similar restrictions earlier this week. Canada is also among countries considering or implementing measures aimed at protecting younger users online.

Officials said the policy is intended to strengthen online safety for children and ensure that social media companies take greater responsibility for enforcing age requirements.

The UAE’s bodies controlling media and telecommunications have “authority to take all necessary measures (against social media platforms in the event of non-compliance”, WAM said.

These include “warning or partial or full blocking of platforms or the imposition of applicable administrative penalties”.

Under the new framework, social media companies operating in the UAE must verify user ages and remove accounts that do not meet the minimum age requirement or risk enforcement action from authorities.