UAE Moves to Ban Social Media Accounts for Children Under 15

Dubai | EcoPulse24

The UAE has approved a new framework that will prohibit children under the age of 15 from creating, using or operating personal accounts on social media platforms, in one of the region's most significant digital safety initiatives.

Under a Cabinet resolution announced on Thursday, social media providers will have up to 12 months to align their operations with the new requirements.

The resolution aims to establish what the government described as an "advanced model for child protection in the digital space," balancing the responsible use of modern technology with stronger safeguards for minors.

Broad Restrictions for Under-15 Users

Children below the age of 15 will be prohibited not only from holding personal social media accounts but also from accessing the full interactive features of social platforms.

The restrictions cover activities including:

• Social interaction;

• Publishing and sharing content;

• Posting comments;

• Joining public groups and open channels;

• Participating in large-scale interactive online spaces.

The measures apply to all social media services available in the UAE or directed at users in the country.

New Obligations for Social Media Platforms

The Cabinet resolution requires social media companies to implement all necessary technical and administrative measures to enforce the restrictions.

Platforms must also identify and immediately suspend or disable accounts created by children under 15 in violation of the rules.

One of the most notable requirements concerns age verification.

The resolution explicitly states that self-declaration of age will not be accepted as a valid verification method.

Instead, platforms must implement age-assurance processes that achieve a high level of accuracy while complying with strict privacy and personal data protection standards.

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Additional Protections for Teenagers

Children between the ages of 15 and 16 will still be permitted to use social media platforms, but enhanced protections will be mandatory.

The measures include:

• Age-appropriate content restrictions;

• Disabling interactions with unknown users;

• Usage-time controls;

• Parental supervision tools;

• Additional safeguards designed to create a safer digital environment.

The government also said age-verification systems will be subject to regular audits and reviews.

EcoPulse24 Analysis

The UAE's move goes beyond a child-safety initiative and represents an important evolution in digital governance.

Many countries have discussed restricting children's access to social media, but the UAE is introducing a framework that combines account restrictions, mandatory age verification and platform accountability under a single regulatory model.

The requirement that self-declared age information is insufficient could have significant operational implications for global technology companies, potentially requiring new verification technologies and compliance systems for users in the UAE.

More broadly, the decision signals a growing international shift toward treating children's digital safety as a matter of public policy and platform responsibility rather than solely parental supervision.

If implemented successfully, the UAE's framework could become a reference point for future digital safety regulations in other jurisdictions.