The Council of Ministers issues a decision to regulate children’s access to social media platforms

The Cabinet, headed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, issued a decision regulating children’s access to social media platforms, in a step that reflects the UAE’s direction towards establishing an advanced model for child protection in the digital space, and strengthening the digital safety system, in keeping with the rapid transformations in the use of technology, as the decision aims to enable children to benefit from it within a safe, balanced, and age-appropriate digital environment.

The decision comes in light of children’s expansion in the use of social media platforms and the associated increasing challenges and digital risks, including exposure to inappropriate content, unsafe interaction, collection of personal data, and excessive usage patterns, which requires the development of an integrated national framework that balances enabling children to benefit from technology and enhancing their protection in the digital environment, and reflects the UAE’s leadership in developing advanced legislative models that keep pace with global digital transformations, and places child safety and quality of life among its national priorities.

The decision also strengthens the integration of the legislative system related to child protection, which includes the Child Rights Law, legislation related to combating cybercrime, media regulation, and child digital safety, thus consolidating the integration of institutional roles and the state’s approach to providing a safer digital environment for children.

The decision includes social media platforms that allow the user to create accounts or personal files, or enable him to interact socially and publish and circulate content, or rely on algorithmic systems to display, arrange, or recommend content, whether free or paid, and applies to all social media platforms, whether their services are available within the country or directed to users there.

The decision sets the minimum age for using social media platforms at 15 years, as children under this age are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms. They are also prohibited from accessing the full features of the platforms, including social interaction, publishing, commenting, participating, or joining public groups, open channels, or any large-scale interactive spaces. The decision obliges the platforms to take all the technical and organizational measures necessary to achieve this, and takes into account the gradual transition towards more balanced and healthy digital habits, in line with the different age stages of children. The decision allowed children between the ages of 15 and 16 to use social media platforms, provided that their accounts are subjected to special protection measures that include classifying and restricting content according to age group, disabling high-risk features such as interacting with unknown users, regulating times and durations of use, and providing parental control tools.

The decision also stipulated that the guardian’s approval should not be taken into account as an exception to the ban or restrictions established pursuant to it, and authorized the child’s caregiver to adjust the settings on the accounts of children who have reached the age of 15 but have not yet reached the age of 16, through parental control tools provided by social media platforms in a manner that does not conflict with the ban and established restrictions, in order to ensure a safe digital environment appropriate to the ages of the children, and contribute to promoting the positive use of technology in learning and acquiring skills, while reducing exposure to digital risks.

The decision obligated social media platforms to implement effective and reliable mechanisms to verify the user’s age, such as digital identity or technologies supported by artificial intelligence, including biometric methods or any other mechanisms approved by the Children’s Digital Safety Council.

In this regard, the decision stipulated that self-declaration of age should not be taken into account as a means of verification. It also stressed the importance of the mechanisms used to achieve a high level of accuracy in determining the user’s age, while adhering to the highest standards of protecting the privacy and personal data of the child by reducing data collection to a minimum, ensuring its processing and ensuring that it is only kept for the necessary period, and that the mechanisms are subject to review and audit, and providing clear information to users about how they work, in a way that enhances trust and transparency in the digital environment, and achieves a balance between the effectiveness of digital protection tools and commitment to the highest standards of privacy and protection of personal data.

The decision obligated social media platforms operating in the country or directed to an audience within the country to monitor the personal accounts of children under the age of 15 established in violation of the provisions of the decision and take measures to immediately suspend or disable them, and take the necessary technical and organizational measures to prevent circumvention of the systems, in addition to refraining from targeting children with targeted ads based on tracking and behavioral profiling or exploiting their personal data or processing them for commercial purposes based on tracking their digital activity, in addition to committing to providing parental control tools and awareness materials directed at children and their caregivers, and conducting evaluations. Periodically monitor digital safety risks for children and submit periodic reports to the competent authorities, in order to establish the principle of shared responsibility and enhance the role of platforms as an essential partner in protecting children.

The decision affirmed that the responsibilities of the child’s caregiver include not enabling him to use the platforms in violation of the provisions of the decision, and not circumventing age verification mechanisms, in addition to exercising actual supervision over the child’s permitted digital activity, and enhancing his awareness of digital risks and safe use practices. The decision also provides a clear framework for families and practical tools that help them guide their children towards more aware and balanced digital use.

The decision assigned the tasks of monitoring and supervising social media platforms’ compliance with the obligations, controls, and standards stipulated to the National Media Authority, the General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector, and the Digital Government, each according to its jurisdiction, while granting them the powers to take the necessary measures in the event of a violation, including warning, partial blocking, or total blocking of the platforms, or imposing the prescribed administrative penalties, taking into account their gradual progression.

The Child Digital Safety Council also assesses the risks and impacts associated with children’s access to social media platforms, and proposes the necessary measures to address and reduce them in coordination with the relevant federal and local authorities, in order to ensure the effective implementation of the provisions of the decision and the continuous development of the child digital safety system.

The decision gave social media platforms a transitional period not exceeding 12 months to adjust their conditions in accordance with its provisions, while strengthening communication and coordination during this transitional period with the competent authorities to ensure technical and organizational readiness.

The decision is consistent with advanced global trends in the field of protecting children digitally, and presents a balanced model that combines digital safety, support for families, platform responsibility, and practical applicability, which supports the UAE’s transition to an advanced stage in regulating the digital space based on proactive legislation, institutional integration, and balance between innovation and protection, and strengthens the country’s position as a leading global model in protecting children and ensuring their safety in the digital age, and reflects its continued commitment to building a safe and sustainable digital society.

• The decision allowed children between 15 and 16 years of age to use “social media,” provided that their accounts are subject to special protection measures, including classifying and restricting content according to age group, and disabling high-risk features.