UAE bans social media accounts for children under 15

The United Arab Emirates has introduced a minimum age of 15 for social media use, becoming the first Arab country to impose such a restriction as governments worldwide tighten rules aimed at protecting children online.

Under the new framework, children younger than 15 years old are not allowed to open, use, or manage their social media accounts. This new development is meant to protect them against any dangerous online activities.

In the light of the new resolution passed on Thursday, children below the age of 15 years will not be able to post anything, make comments, reblog any posts or join social networking forums.

In a statement issued by the media office of the UAE government, the regulation will cover all platforms operating within the UAE, thus ranking among the most far-reaching national-level interventions regarding youth access to social media.

The use of social media among teenagers who are 15 and 16 years old will continue to be allowed but under stricter guidelines. These guidelines entail appropriate filters for the age group, limited interaction with strangers, restricted time online, and improved parent-child monitoring measures.

Age-verification measures, which include digital authentication and even AI-powered verification techniques, are going to be obligatory for all social networks to adopt. Information about user age cannot be relied on self-declaration.

Moreover, accounts of those younger than 15 are supposed to be deleted, attempts to circumvent verification tools will be banned, and no children’s data can be used for targeting advertisements.

The companies will have one year to adapt to the changes.