The UAE government, via its official news agency, announced a ban on social media platforms for children under 15, a senior official said. The policy requires age verification and parental consent, according to the announcement, with enforcement details still emerging. The move aligns with a growing global trend of restricting minors' access to social media, following similar legislation in the UK and elsewhere.
The United Arab Emirates on Thursday became the first Gulf state to impose a statutory age limit on social media access, announcing a ban for children under 15. The decision was carried by the state-run WAM news agency, which cited a senior official outlining the policy: users below the age threshold will be blocked from major platforms unless parental consent and age verification are provided. The exact list of affected platforms, the verification mechanism, and the enforcement timeline have not yet been published.
As The Zioneer reported on June 15, the UK government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to implement a similar ban for under-16s by early 2027, relying on mandatory ID-based checks. The UAE move brings Middle East policy closer to that Western regulatory trajectory, though the Gulf country's tech landscape — dominated by platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok among teens — may face distinct implementation challenges. No independent corroboration of the announcement from Emirati officials beyond the state news agency dispatch has surfaced yet, and the legislation reportedly still requires formal approval.
2 developments
- StrongUK will ban under-16s from social media platforms starting 2027, Starmer says
- DevelopingGlobal outage at Facebook and Instagram linked to cyber activity against Meta, channel reports
- DevelopingUAE official response to US-Iran deal urges full commitment to terms
- DevelopingUAE conspicuously refrains from welcoming US-Iran MOU, official cites lack of trust in Tehran
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
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