The UAE Cabinet has approved a new resolution regulating children's use of social media platforms, setting 15 years as the minimum age for creating and using personal accounts. This step aims to enhance child safety in the digital environment and mitigate the risks associated with the early use of these platforms.
Under the resolution, children under the age of 15 are prohibited from creating or using personal accounts or accessing the full features of social media platforms, including posting content, commenting, interacting with users, and joining public groups and open channels.
Special controls for child users between 15 and 16 years old in the UAE
The resolution includes special controls for the 15 to 16 age group, allowing them to use the platforms under regulatory measures. These include age-appropriate content classification, restricting certain interaction tools, regulating usage time, and providing parental control tools that allow families to monitor their children's digital activity.
The resolution obligates social media companies and platforms to implement accurate and reliable methods to verify user ages through digital identity, artificial intelligence technologies, or biometric means, rather than relying solely on manual age entry when creating accounts.
It also prohibits the use of children's personal data in targeted advertising or building behavioral profiles, and requires platforms to monitor violating accounts and take immediate action to suspend or disable them when necessary.
Parental control is a prerequisite for entering the social media world
The resolution emphasized the responsibility of parents in supervising children's use of digital technologies and raising awareness of the principles of safe and responsible use of the internet and social media platforms.
The Cabinet granted social media platforms a transitional period not exceeding 12 months to regularize their status and comply with the new requirements. The National Media Council and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) will follow up on the implementation of the resolution and supervise compliance.
This resolution comes as part of the UAE's efforts to develop a digital safety system for children, striking a balance between benefiting from modern technologies and protecting youth from increasing digital challenges and risks.
Global efforts to protect children in digital environments
Many countries are currently moving towards tightening controls on children's use of social media platforms, amid growing concerns about the impact of excessive use on mental health, privacy, and digital safety.
Countries such as Australia, France, and several US states have taken similar measures in recent years, including raising the minimum age, tightening user age verification mechanisms, and imposing greater obligations on tech companies to protect minors from harmful content and targeted advertising.
This global trend reflects a growing interest in establishing regulatory frameworks that balance benefiting from digital services with ensuring a safer online environment for children and adolescents.
