The United Arab Emirates has established 15 as the minimum age for social media use, becoming the first Arab country to impose such a restriction. The UAE Cabinet approved a resolution on June 18 that prohibits children under 15 from creating or operating personal social media accounts, as well as from posting, commenting, sharing, or joining public groups on these platforms, according to medianama.com.
The new regulation also states that parental consent will not exempt children under 15 from these restrictions. Teenagers aged 15 and 16 are allowed to use social media but must be protected by additional safeguards. These include age-appropriate content controls, limits on interactions with unknown users, screen-time management, and parental supervision features. Platforms must implement these measures to comply with the resolution, medianama.com reported.
A key component of the policy is mandatory age verification. Social media platforms can no longer rely on self-declared ages; instead, they must use stronger verification methods such as digital identity systems, biometrics, or other techniques approved by the Child Digital Safety Council. These systems will be subject to regular reviews, and users must be informed about how their data is used, according to medianama.com. This move aligns with global debates on online age checks and child safety.
The resolution took effect following the UAE Cabinet’s approval on June 18. The Child Digital Safety Council will oversee the implementation and review of age verification methods, ensuring compliance with the new rules across social media platforms operating in the UAE, medianama.com stated.