UAE bans children under-15s from social media accounts

• The UAE has become the first Arab country to ban personal social media accounts for children under 15.
• Social media platforms must implement age-verification systems and can no longer rely on self-declared ages.
• Teenagers aged 15 and 16 will face additional online safety and parental supervision measures.

The United Arab Emirates has approved new regulations banning children under the age of 15 from creating or using personal social media accounts.

As reported by Wired, the rules were approved by the UAE cabinet, making it the first Arab country to introduce a minimum social media age limit of 15.

The rules prohibit children under 15 from accessing personal social media accounts even with parental consent, placing responsibility on platforms to enforce age restrictions and create safer online experiences for young users.

Teenagers aged 15 and 16 will still be able to access social media platforms but will be subject to additional protections. These include age-appropriate content settings, restrictions on interactions with unknown users, screen-time management tools and parental supervision features.

Safety measures 

The regulations require social media companies operating in the UAE to implement reliable age-verification systems, which may include digital identity checks and AI-supported age-assurance technologies. 

Moreover, self-declaration of age will no longer be accepted, while platforms must minimise data collection and protect personal information during verification processes.

Platforms must also identify and disable accounts created by children under 15 in violation of the rules and are prohibited from serving personalised advertisements to children based on tracking or behavioural profiling.

The measures come as countries around the world move to strengthen restrictions on children’s access to social media. Just recently, the UK announced an under-16 social media ban that it looks to implement in 2027.