UAE restricts social media access for children
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The UAE Ministry of Family Affairs will prevent children under 15 from creating social media accounts and will add safety measures for 15 and 16-year-olds.
The Ministry outlined four methods for verifying age on social media platforms: government-issued digital IDs, identity verification, biometric matching, and AI-based estimation. Existing accounts belonging to children under 15 will be disabled, while older teens will have access with tighter controls on features like live streaming and algorithmic recommendations.
The Ministry intends these rules to create a safer digital environment for children, not to cut them off from technology. Along with the new regulations, the Ministry will provide resources for families, including awareness materials and digital tools, to encourage healthy technology use and offer alternatives like sports and creative activities. Schools will also integrate digital safety into their curricula and train students on responsible internet use.
The Ministry clarified that the responsibility for enforcing these rules lies primarily with social media platforms, which must verify ages and disable non-compliant accounts. Parents are encouraged to support these safeguards and guide their children’s online behaviour. The UAE government believes these measures will support innovation by providing clear expectations for platforms while protecting children.
