UAE Cabinet bans children under 15 from social media — families and schools — 12-month implementation

The UAE Cabinet has issued a new resolution banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms. According to a survey from 2024, children in the UAE spend around three hours daily on these platforms.

Experts have noted that prolonged social media usage among children heightens challenges, including anxiety, attention difficulties, academic struggles, and, in certain instances, speech delays.

The UAE follows a host of other nations implementing similar laws regulating access to social media for children, including the UK, Australia and Malaysia.

Social media platforms in the UAE will be given up to 12 months to progressively implement the new standards, in coordination with relevant authorities.

The Cabinet has announced several provisions of this new resolution, under which children under the age of 15 will not be permitted to create or use personal accounts on social media platforms, or access their full features.

Children between the ages of 15 and 16 will be allowed regulated access to these platforms, subject to enhanced protective measures applied to their accounts. These measures include age-appropriate content classification and restriction, disabling high-risk features such as interaction with unknown users, regulation of usage time and duration, and the provision of parental control tools, ensuring a safe digital environment appropriate to their age.