Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

The Cabinet of Ministers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has approved a new decree introducing stricter regulations on social media use by minors, including a minimum age requirement of 15 years for account creation, AzerNEWS reports.

According to the official statement, children under the age of 15 are now prohibited from creating, using, or managing personal accounts on social media platforms. This also includes posting, commenting, or participating in open online communities. Social media companies will be required to detect and immediately block accounts that violate these rules.

Teenagers aged 15 to 16 will still be allowed to use social media, but under strict limitations. Platforms must apply enhanced content filtering, restrict screen time, and disable features that allow direct interaction with unknown users. In addition, companies are forbidden from using minors’ personal data for commercial purposes or showing them targeted advertising. Authorities emphasized that parental consent alone will not override these protections.

The new regulations also require platforms to implement robust age-verification systems, such as digital identity checks or biometric verification. Companies will be given up to 12 months to comply with the new requirements.

In case of non-compliance, the UAE government may impose penalties ranging from financial fines to partial or complete blocking of platforms within the country.

Experts note that this move reflects a growing global trend toward tightening online child protection laws. Similar discussions are taking place in several countries, where governments are increasingly concerned about screen addiction, data privacy, and the mental health impact of social media on teenagers. The UAE’s decision is seen as one of the stricter regulatory approaches in the region and may influence future digital safety policies worldwide.