E-Paper
Sign In
UAE social media law: Penalties, parental controls and under-15 account suspensions
From age verification and data privacy to advertising limits and caregiver duties, the resolution lays out how the UAE’s new child digital safety regime will work in practice
- PUBLISHED: Sat 20 Jun 2026, 6:00 AM
The UAE’s new social media age rule is not just a ban on under-15 accounts. Announced on Thursday, the new law is a digital safety regime that explains how platforms must verify age, design feeds, restrict risky features, handle children’s data and target ads, while laying out responsibilities for parents, social media platforms and regulators.
A copy of Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2026, seen by Khaleej Times, makes clear that parental consent will not override the restriction, date-of-birth declarations will not be enough, underage accounts must be detected and disabled, and 15-year-olds will only be allowed online with extra protections built into their accounts.
Recommended For You
The resolution also gives regulators powers to warn, penalise, block or close platforms that fail to comply, while giving companies 12 months to bring their systems in line with the new rules.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Here is what the law says and what it means for children, parents and social media companies.
Does this apply to all social media platforms?
It applies to any platform that allows users to create public or semi-public accounts or profiles, enables social interaction, allows the publication or dissemination of content, or uses algorithmic systems or automated technologies to display, rank or recommend content.
The resolution applies whether the service is free or paid, and regardless of the platform operator’s place of establishment, business model, technical infrastructure or how the service is made available.
It covers platforms whose services are available in the UAE or directed at users in the country.
What penalties can platforms face?
If a platform violates the law or is negligent in meeting its obligations, authorities may take action.
The resolution refers to warnings, closure, partial blocking, total blocking, or other administrative penalties prescribed under the list of administrative penalties issued under the Child Digital Safety Law.
Do children get full access to social media once they turn 15?
Children who have turned 15 but have not yet turned 16 may access social media platforms, but only under special restrictions and protections suited to their age group.
This means 15-year-olds will not be treated like adult users under the law.
What protections must be applied to 15-year-olds?
Platforms must apply effective mechanisms to classify and restrict the types of content this age group can view or share. This includes harmful content and content unsuitable for their age.
They must limit public sharing functions and interactions with users unknown to the child and caregiver.
They must also provide tools to regulate or specify when access to the platform is allowed and to determine or restrict daily or nighttime usage durations, in line with standards approved by the Child Digital Safety Council.
Platforms must provide clear and user-friendly parental control tools that allow caregivers to supervise account settings, manage privacy levels and restrict access to certain features.
Which high-risk features could be restricted?
The law specifically mentions unrestricted private messaging, open live streaming and intensive algorithmic recommendation systems as features that may involve elevated risks for children aged 15 to 16.
Platforms must restrict or disable such features or provide protection tools and safe-design measures to reduce the risks.
Will parents be able to manage the accounts of their 15-year-old children?
Yes, but within limits.
Caregivers may adjust the settings of accounts belonging to children who are 15 but not yet 16 through parental control tools provided by platforms.
However, those adjustments must not conflict with the restrictions set out in the law. In other words, parental controls cannot be used to undo or bypass the protections required by the resolution.
What should platforms do if they detect personal accounts belonging to children below 15?
They must take immediate measures to suspend or disable those accounts.
The law also requires platforms to adopt reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to prevent users from circumventing the rules.
What are platforms required to do besides checking age?
The resolution places several ongoing obligations on social media companies.
They must implement approved age verification systems, detect and disable underage accounts, prevent circumvention, restrict behavioural advertising aimed at children, provide digital awareness tools and materials for children and caregivers, conduct periodic child digital safety risk assessments, and submit regular reports to the authorities.
These obligations make platforms responsible not only for blocking underage access, but also for designing a safer digital environment for children who are allowed to use social media.
What must parents and caregivers do?
The law also places responsibilities on caregivers.
They must not enable a child to create or use a personal account on social media platforms in violation of the resolution.
They must not circumvent age verification mechanisms or provide false or misleading information to help a child access social media illegally.
Caregivers must also exercise effective supervision over any digital activity of the child, ensure the child is not exploited or exposed to digital risks, raise awareness of social media risks, and promote safe and responsible use based on the child’s age and maturity.
How will platforms check age?
The resolution lists several possible mechanisms. These include verification through a digital government identity, scanning an official identity document, or using an official document with biometric matching.
It also allows AI-based age-estimation technologies, including biometric means; approved and licensed age verification service providers in the UAE; or any other mechanisms approved by the Child Digital Safety Council.
How will children’s privacy be protected during age checks?
The resolution requires platforms to limit the data collected or processed for age verification to the minimum necessary.
Platforms must comply with principles of data minimisation, purpose limitation and processing security.
The law also says biometric data and official documents must not be retained except to the extent and for the duration necessary to complete the age verification process and in line with applicable legislation.
Can platforms use children’s data for advertising?
The resolution restricts how platforms can use children’s data for commercial purposes.
Platforms must not target children with directed advertisements based on tracking and behavioural profiling.
They must also not exploit or process children’s personal data for commercial purposes based on tracking their digital activity.
Who will supervise social media platforms?
Two main authorities will oversee compliance.
The National Media Authority will supervise platform compliance with obligations, controls and standards related to digital and media content associated with children.
The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority will supervise technical obligations, controls and standards set out under the resolution.
Both authorities will submit periodic reports to the Child Digital Safety Council.
How long do platforms have to comply?
Social media platforms will be given a 12-month transitional period from the date the resolution enters into force to regularise their status and comply with its provisions.
During this period, the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority may communicate and coordinate with platform operators to enhance their readiness to implement the technical and regulatory requirements.
As Associate Editor, Sahim Salim helps tell the UAE story like no one else does — and leads a team of reporters that asks the questions to get news and headlines that matter.