UAE Bans Social Media for Children Under 15

The United Arab Emirates has announced a nationwide ban on social media use for children under the age of 15, becoming the first Arab country to introduce such restrictions.

Under a decision approved by the UAE Cabinet, children under 15 will be prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms. The rules also ban minors from posting content, commenting, joining public groups, or participating in large-scale interactive online spaces.

Social media companies will be required to identify and disable accounts belonging to underage users or face penalties, including partial or full platform blocking. Companies have been given 12 months to comply with the new regulations.

The move follows similar measures introduced by countries including Australia, the UK, and Canada as governments seek to strengthen online safety protections for children.

UAE authorities said media and telecommunications regulators will have the power to enforce the rules through warnings, sanctions, and restrictions on non-compliant platforms.