The UAE Cabinet has issued a decision regulating children’s access to social media platforms, aiming to strengthen child protection in the digital environment and reduce risks related to inappropriate content, unsafe interactions, personal data collection, and excessive use.
Under the decision, children under the age of 15 are prohibited from creating or using personal accounts on social media platforms. They are also restricted from accessing full interactive features, including posting, commenting, sharing, and joining public groups.
The decision allows children aged 15 to 16 to use social media platforms under special protection measures. These include age-appropriate content restrictions, disabling high-risk features, regulating usage times, and providing parental control tools.
The decision also requires social media platforms to implement accurate and reliable age verification mechanisms, such as digital identity systems or artificial intelligence technologies, instead of relying solely on users’ self-declared age. It also emphasizes the need to protect children’s privacy and minimize the collection of their personal data.
Platforms have been granted a transitional period of up to 12 months to comply with the new requirements. Competent authorities will oversee compliance, with possible measures including warnings, partial or full blocking, or administrative penalties.
Read the article in
