The United Arab Emirates has officially banned social media use for children under the age of 15, requiring platforms to monitor and disable accounts belonging to underage users or risk being blocked in the country.
New Regulations Take Effect
According to the UAE's official WAM news agency, the measure stems from a cabinet resolution that sets 15 as the minimum age for social media access. The resolution prohibits children below 15 from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms. Additionally, they are barred from accessing key features such as social interaction, publishing and commenting, sharing content, joining public groups, open channels, or large-scale interactive spaces.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
The UAE's media and telecommunications regulatory bodies have been granted authority to take action against platforms that fail to comply. Available measures include warnings, partial or full blocking of platforms, and imposition of applicable administrative penalties.
Global Trend
The UAE joins a growing list of countries moving to restrict children's access to social media. Australia became the first country to implement such a ban, introducing restrictions for under-16s in December 2025. Britain announced a similar ban this same week, with Canada also among the nations that have taken comparable measures.
Platforms operating in the UAE have been given a 12-month transition period to bring their systems into compliance with the new resolution.
