UAE Becomes The Latest To Ban Social Media For Children: Why Global Crackdown Is Growing

Last Updated:June 19, 2026, 16:18 IST

The UAE has become the first Arab country to impose a social media ban for children, barring under-15s from creating or using personal accounts.

The United Arab Emirates has become the first Arab country to restrict children’s access to social media, banning those under 15 from creating or operating personal accounts and preventing parents from overriding the rule.

The decision comes just days after Britain announced plans to bar under-16s from social media and six months after Australia became the first country to enforce a nationwide social media ban for children.

What Has The UAE Announced?

Under the resolution approved by the UAE Cabinet, children below 15 cannot create, use or operate personal social media accounts.

The restriction is not limited to signing up for a new account. Children under 15 will also be prevented from accessing the full range of social features, including publishing, commenting, sharing and joining public groups, open channels or other large-scale interactive spaces.

Parental or caregiver consent will not be accepted as an exemption. This means parents cannot legally authorise an under-15 child to maintain an account despite the nationwide restriction.

Children aged between 15 and 16 will be permitted to use social media, but their accounts will be subject to enhanced protections. These may include age-appropriate content classification, restricted access to high-risk features, regulated usage time and parental-control tools that cannot override preset safety measures.

The resolution builds on the UAE’s Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2025 on Child Digital Safety, which took effect on January 1, 2026.

Why Are Governments Turning To Bans?

For years, governments largely relied on platforms to set their own minimum ages and expected parents to monitor children’s online activity. That approach has increasingly been judged inadequate.

Many platforms allow users to enter their own dates of birth, enabling children to bypass age restrictions easily. Parental controls may also be difficult to configure, inconsistent across services or unable to govern what algorithms recommend once a child begins using an account.

Governments pushing age limits argue that children face a combination of risks: cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, contact with strangers, harmful or age-inappropriate material, privacy violations and social pressure driven by online comparison and validation.

The concern is not only about what children see, but also how platforms are designed.

Features such as infinite scrolling, constant notifications, autoplay, livestreaming and personalised recommendation systems are built to sustain engagement. Policymakers increasingly argue that young users should not be expected to resist products deliberately designed to hold their attention.

Australia Set The Global Precedent

Australia became the first country to implement a nationwide social media ban for children when its minimum-age law came into effect on December 10, 2025.

The Australian rules prohibit children under 16 from maintaining accounts on major platforms and, like the UAE framework, do not allow parental consent as an exemption.

The restrictions cover services including YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Twitch, Threads and Kick.

Technology companies can face fines of up to A$50 million if they fail to take reasonable measures to enforce the law.

Australia’s model was significant because it placed the legal burden on platforms rather than on children or their parents. That principle is now appearing in other countries’ frameworks.

How Britain Is Going Further

Britain announced on June 15 that it would ban social media access for children under 16.

The proposed restrictions are expected to cover major social media services, while private messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal would remain exempt.

“It is clear to me a full ban is the right choice," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “It will make a huge difference, it will make our children safer, it will make our children happier, it will give them more time, more security, more freedom to grow up, more opportunity."

Britain’s plans extend beyond conventional social media accounts. The government may also target dangerous features on gaming, livestreaming and other online services used by children.

These include strangers contacting minors, access to livestreaming and addictive design features such as infinite scrolling.

The British approach reflects another emerging concern: removing children from Instagram, TikTok or Snapchat may achieve little if similar risks simply migrate to gaming networks, video platforms or smaller interactive services.

How Will The UAE Enforce Its Ban?

The UAE will require platforms to replace simple self-declaration with more reliable age-verification systems.

Companies may use artificial intelligence-supported technology, biometric tools or other methods approved by the Child Digital Safety Council to determine whether a user meets the minimum age.

Platforms must monitor accounts and immediately suspend or disable those identified as belonging to children under 15. They will also have to explain how their verification systems operate and ensure that the measures are regularly reviewed.

Companies have until December 31, 2026, to comply with the requirements. Non-compliant platforms could face warnings, administrative penalties or partial or complete blocking in the UAE.

How Will Children’s Data Be Protected?

The UAE’s rules require age-verification systems to follow high standards of child privacy and personal data protection.

Platforms must minimise the information they collect, process it securely and avoid retaining it beyond the period for which it is necessary.

Children’s data cannot be used for personalised advertising based on behavioural tracking or profiling. Platforms will also be prevented from processing children’s personal information for commercial purposes that require monitoring their digital activity.

A separate provision under the broader child digital safety framework restricts the collection of personal data belonging to children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.

About the Author

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo...Read More

News world UAE Becomes The Latest To Ban Social Media For Children: Why Global Crackdown Is Growing

Read More