By Staff Reporter
DUBAI — UAE authorities have outlined the implementation of new regulations governing children’s access to social media, officially setting 15 years as the minimum age for creating personal social media accounts as part of a broader effort to strengthen online child protection.
The details were presented during a media briefing hosted by the Child Digital Safety Council at Creators HQ in Dubai. The session was led by Minister of Family Sana bint Mohammed Suhail and attended by senior representatives from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), the Ministry of Health and Prevention, and the National Media Authority.
Under the new Cabinet Decision, children under the age of 15 will not be allowed to create social media accounts or access fully interactive platform features. Teenagers aged 15 to under 16 will be permitted limited access under an enhanced safety framework that includes stricter privacy settings, restrictions on high-risk features, and expanded parental controls.
Officials said the decision forms part of the UAE’s wider child protection strategy, which includes more than 50 laws and policies designed to safeguard children and families in the digital and physical environment.
To enforce the new rules, social media platforms will be required to use robust age verification methods such as UAE PASS, official identification documents, and artificial intelligence-based age estimation technologies. Authorities emphasized that self-declared ages will no longer be accepted as valid proof.
TDRA Director-General Majed Al Mesmar said platforms serving users in the UAE will have a 12-month transition period to comply with the new regulations.
Health officials noted that the measures are supported by growing evidence linking excessive social media use among children to sleep disturbances, anxiety, poor concentration, and other mental health concerns.
Meanwhile, the National Media Authority announced that it is developing additional content standards and an age-classification framework to help platforms and parents provide safer online experiences for young users.
Authorities stressed that enforcement will focus on ensuring platform compliance rather than monitoring individual users, adding that protecting personal data and privacy will remain a fundamental principle throughout the implementation of the new rules.
Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM)
