UAE is the First Arab Country to Ban Social Media for Under-15s

Across the Gulf, where governments are increasingly tightening the digital rulebook as smartphones become as common as school uniforms, the UAE’s decision to bar children under 15 from social media marks one of the region’s most sweeping interventions yet, placing it at the forefront of a broader policy shift that treats online platforms not just as tools of communication but as regulated public spaces requiring age thresholds, identity verification and state-backed safeguards in the name of child protection in an era of algorithm-driven content.

Children under 15 will be prohibited from using social media under a Cabinet resolution that makes the UAE the first Arab country to impose such a ban.

Anyone under the age of 15 will be barred from creating, using or operating personal accounts on social media platforms, and will also be denied access to core platform functions including publishing, commenting, sharing content and joining public groups or other large-scale interactive spaces.

The resolution gives social media companies up to 12 months to comply with the new rules.

It covers all platforms that enable users to create accounts or personal profiles and engage in social interaction, including services that use algorithmic systems to display, rank or recommend content, whether free or paid. It also applies to platforms available in the UAE or directed at users in the country.

The Cabinet, led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said the measure aims to “establish an advanced model for child protection in the digital space, reinforcing the national digital safety framework in line with the rapid evolution of technology use, and striking a balance between enabling responsible use of modern technologies and ensuring the highest standards of child protection”.

Social media companies will be required to take technical and administrative measures to enforce the restrictions. Users aged 15 to 16 will be allowed to access platforms, but only under enhanced safeguards.

These include “age-appropriate content classification and restriction, disabling high-risk features such as interaction with unknown users, regulation of usage time and duration, and the provision of parental control tools, ensuring a safe digital environment appropriate to their age”.

The resolution also states that self-declared age information will not be accepted as valid verification. Platforms must implement age-verification systems that “achieve a high level of accuracy … while adhering to the highest standards of child privacy and personal data protection”.

It further requires platforms to minimise data collection, secure processing of user data and ensure information is not retained longer than necessary. Age-verification systems will be subject to regular audits and reviews.

Platforms must also monitor accounts created in breach of the rules and take immediate action to suspend or disable them.

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