United Arab Emirates prohibits children under 15 from using social media platforms

In a move to regulate online activities, the United Arab Emirates declared on Thursday that it would be imposing a social media ban on children under the age of 15, thereby aligning itself with nations such as Australia, Britain, and Canada that have implemented similar restrictions.

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This new regulation requires social media platforms to keep a close eye on and deactivate accounts created by minors under 15, or face the possibility of being blocked, as stated in a cabinet resolution that allows for a 12-month transitional period.

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A cabinet resolution, as quoted by the official WAM news agency, clearly states that the minimum age for using social media has been set at 15 years, thereby prohibiting children below this age threshold from creating, utilizing, or managing personal social media accounts.

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Furthermore, children under 15 are also restricted from accessing the full range of features offered by social media platforms, including social interactions, publishing content, commenting, sharing, joining public groups, open channels, or participating in large-scale interactive spaces.

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Following Australia's pioneering move to introduce a social media ban for under-16s in December, several countries have adopted similar measures, with Britain being the latest to announce a ban just this week.

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The UAE's regulatory bodies responsible for overseeing media and telecommunications possess the authority to take necessary measures against non-compliant social media platforms, according to WAM.

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These measures may include issuing warnings, partially or fully blocking platforms, or imposing applicable administrative penalties in the event of non-compliance, as stated by WAM.