The UAE has introduced new rules governing children’s access to social media platforms, expanding the responsibilities of platforms and other providers within the telecommunications and digital services ecosystem.
Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2026 Regarding the Regulation of Children’s Access to Social Media Platforms was issued on 17 June 2026 and took effect on 30 June 2026. It builds on Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2025 Regarding Child Digital Safety and introduces specific requirements on age verification, access controls, content safeguards and regulatory compliance.
Minimum Age for Social Media Access
The Resolution sets 15 as the minimum age for social media use in the UAE. Children below this age may not create or operate personal accounts or access full interactive features, including publishing, commenting, sharing content or joining public groups and open channels.
Children aged 15 to 16 may use social media platforms, but their accounts must be subject to enhanced safeguards. These include age-appropriate content restrictions, controls on interaction with unknown users, usage limits and parental control tools.
The rules apply to platforms available in the UAE or directed at users in the country, regardless of where the platform operator is based.
Age Verification as a Compliance Requirement
Platforms must implement effective and reliable age verification mechanisms. Self-declaration of age is not sufficient.
Permitted methods may include digital identity verification, artificial intelligence-supported technologies and other mechanisms approved by the Child Digital Safety Council.
These measures must also comply with privacy and personal data protection requirements. Providers should limit data collection to what is necessary for age verification, secure its processing and avoid retaining information beyond the required period.
For digital service providers, this means age verification must form part of the platform’s technical compliance infrastructure rather than remain a simple account registration step.
Telecommunications and Network-Level Responsibilities
The telecommunications implications extend beyond social media platforms.
Under Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2025 Regarding Child Digital Safety, internet service providers are required to support child protection through measures such as network content filtering, safe and supervised internet access and parental control tools.
The framework therefore creates connected responsibilities across the digital service chain. Social media platforms are responsible for age verification, account access and platform safeguards, while internet service providers have obligations relating to network-level protection and supervised access.
This layered approach recognizes that child online safety cannot be addressed by platforms alone.
Regulatory Oversight and Enforcement
Compliance is overseen by the National Media Authority and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, each within its respective jurisdiction.
Enforcement measures may include warnings, partial or full blocking of non-compliant platforms and applicable administrative penalties.
Platforms must also identify and disable accounts created by children under 15 in breach of the rules and implement measures to prevent users from circumventing age verification systems.
The involvement of the telecommunications regulator is significant. Compliance is linked not only to content and platform governance but also to the continued technical availability of services in the UAE.
Restrictions on Tracking and Personalized Advertising
The Resolution prohibits personalized advertising directed at children where it is based on tracking or behavioral profiling.
Platforms may not exploit or process children’s personal data for commercial purposes based on monitoring their digital activities.
Providers may therefore need to review the interaction between their age verification systems, advertising technologies, recommendation tools and data governance processes to ensure that restricted forms of processing are not applied to protected users.
What Providers Should Consider
Social media platforms and digital service providers should review their age verification, parental controls, content safeguards, advertising technologies and data practices. With a transitional period of up to 12 months, providers should ensure that child safety measures are embedded into their platforms and systems.
As the UAE introduces new rules on children’s access to social media, businesses should consider the implications for digital services, data use and regulatory compliance. For further guidance, please contact Rajiv Suri at r.suri@alsuwaidi.ae or Harleen Kaur at h.kaur@alsuwaidi.ae