The United Arab Emirates has introduced one of the world’s toughest age-based restrictions on social media, barring children under 15 from opening or using personal accounts on major platforms.

Under a new cabinet resolution, social media companies operating in the UAE must detect and disable accounts belonging to under-15s or face penalties that include partial or full blocking of their services. Platforms have been granted a 12‑month transition period to adapt their systems, including age‑verification tools and parental controls.

The measure places the UAE among a growing list of countries tightening rules on young people’s online lives. Australia has moved to restrict social media access for under‑16s, while Britain, Canada and several European states are advancing or enforcing similar policies. Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey have also introduced tougher safeguards for minors, though the UAE is the first country in the Arab world to impose a clear nationwide age floor.

Officials say the ban is driven by mounting evidence linking heavy social media use to anxiety, depression, cyber‑bullying, exposure to predators and reduced physical activity among children. The resolution, carried by the state news agency WAM, describes the policy as aligned with “leading global trends in digital child protection”.

Children aged 15 and 16 will be allowed on social platforms, but only under “enhanced protective measures”. These include stricter content filters, limits on daily screen time and restrictions on features that enable broad public interaction. For those under 15, the rules go further, blocking access to core functions such as posting, commenting, sharing, joining public groups or participating in large open channels.

Regulators overseeing media and telecommunications are empowered to act against non‑compliant platforms, issuing warnings, imposing administrative penalties or ordering blocks. The resolution also places legal responsibility on parents and caregivers, who are required to prevent children from using social media or circumventing age checks. It explicitly states that parental consent cannot be used to bypass the minimum age requirement.

The UAE already enforces strict online laws, including penalties for spreading what authorities deem to be rumours or false information. The new social media age rules deepen the country’s intervention in the digital sphere, intensifying a global debate over how far governments should go in policing children’s lives online.