United Arab Emirates Bans Social Media for Minors Under 15

If you're under 15 and live in the United Arab Emirates, your social media experience is about to change dramatically. The country has just announced a ban on social media use for minors under 15, joining a growing group of nations seeking to protect younger individuals in the digital environment.

Social media platforms will have a 12-month transition period to monitor and deactivate accounts created by minors under 15. Failure to comply could result in platforms being blocked, according to a cabinet resolution.

The official news agency Wam reported that the resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15. This means minors below this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on these platforms.

"The resolution sets the minimum age for social media use at 15," the official news agency Wam reported, referring to the measure.

The prohibition extends to all interactive features. Minors under 15 will also be unable to access social interaction, posting, commenting, sharing, joining public groups, open channels, or "any large-scale interactive space" within these platforms.

Emirati media and telecommunications regulatory bodies are authorized to take all necessary measures against non-compliant platforms. This includes warnings, partial or total blocking of platforms, and even the imposition of applicable administrative penalties.

This decision by the United Arab Emirates is not an isolated case. Similar initiatives have been undertaken by other countries in recent months, marking a global trend in protecting children online. Australia pioneered this movement in December, enacting the world's first ban on social media use for minors under 16.

Since then, other nations have followed suit. The United Kingdom announced a similar restriction for those under 16 this week, which is expected to be applied in 2027. The concern for the digital well-being of children and adolescents is a central issue on the agenda of several governments.

The implementation of these measures poses a significant challenge for technology companies. How will platforms effectively verify the age of their users and ensure compliance with these new regulations within a tight timeframe such as the 12 months granted by the United Arab Emirates?

The experience of Australia, where the ban on social media use for minors under 16 has faced implementation challenges, suggests that the effectiveness of these regulations will largely depend on the cooperation of companies and the ability of regulators to enforce the applicable administrative penalties.