UAE Announces Social Media Ban for Children Under 15

The United Arab Emirates announced a ban on social media use for children under 15 on Thursday, joining a growing list of countries such as Australia, Britain and Canada that have adopted similar restrictions.

According to a cabinet resolution, social media platforms will be required to monitor and disable accounts created by users under 15, or face the risk of being blocked. The resolution provides a 12‑month transition period for compliance.

“The resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15 years,” the official WAM news agency said, citing the cabinet document.

“Children below this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms.”

They are also barred from “accessing the full features of such platforms, including social interaction, publishing, commenting, sharing, joining public groups, open channels, or any large‑scale interactive spaces,” the agency added.

After Australia introduced a world‑first ban on social media for users under 16 in December, several other countries have followed suit, including Britain, which announced a ban this week.

The UAE’s media and telecommunications authorities have “authority to take all necessary measures against social media platforms in the event of non‑compliance,” WAM said.

These measures may include “warning or partial or full blocking of platforms or the imposition of applicable administrative penalties.”

AFP

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