UAE/UK
UAE and UK Announce Landmark Social Media Restrictions for Children: In a major move aimed at protecting children from online harms, both the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom have announced sweeping new social media restrictions, setting a global benchmark for child digital safety.
The measures, unveiled within days of each other, reflect growing international concerns over the impact of social media on young people’s mental health, privacy, safety, and development.
UAE Introduces Strict Digital Safety Framework
The UAE has adopted Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2026, establishing one of the region’s most comprehensive child digital safety regimes. Under the new law, children under the age of 15 will not be allowed to maintain personal social media accounts, regardless of parental consent.
The regulation applies to any platform that enables users to create public or semi-public profiles, share content, interact socially, or uses algorithms to recommend content. This includes major social media platforms operating within the UAE.
Authorities have made it clear that simple date-of-birth declarations will no longer be sufficient. Platforms must implement robust age-verification systems using government digital identities, official documents, biometric verification, AI-powered age estimation technologies, or other approved mechanisms.
Social media companies will be required to immediately suspend or disable accounts found to belong to children under 15.
Special Protections for 15-Year-Olds
Children aged 15 but under 16 will be allowed access to social media only under enhanced safety measures.
Platforms must:
- Restrict harmful and age-inappropriate content.
- Limit interactions with unknown users.
- Provide parental control tools.
- Restrict high-risk features such as unrestricted private messaging, open livestreaming, and intensive algorithmic recommendations.
- Enable controls over daily and nighttime usage.
The law also places responsibilities on parents and caregivers, prohibiting them from helping children bypass age-verification systems or creating accounts illegally.
In addition, platforms will be prohibited from using children’s personal data for behavioral advertising or commercial profiling.
Companies have been granted a 12-month transition period to comply with the new regulations, after which regulators may issue warnings, impose penalties, partially block services, or completely shut down non-compliant platforms.
United Kingdom Announces Ban for Under-16s
Meanwhile, the UK government has announced plans to prohibit social media platforms from offering services to users under 16, in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as a decisive step to “give kids their childhood back.”
The proposed legislation, expected to be introduced before Christmas and implemented by Spring 2027, will follow a model similar to Australia’s social media ban.
The restrictions are expected to cover major platforms including:
- TikTok
- Snapchat
- YouTube
- X (formerly Twitter)
Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are not currently expected to be included.
The UK is also proposing world-leading restrictions on harmful online features for minors, including:
- Livestreaming.
- Communication with strangers.
- Harmful recommendation algorithms.
- AI “romantic companion” chatbots.
- Other high-risk online interactions.
Additional measures being considered include overnight digital curfews and mandatory breaks from infinite scrolling for users under 18.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the move is intended to shift power away from technology companies and back to parents.
The government cited overwhelming public support for the reforms, with nine out of ten parents backing a social media ban for children under 16.
Global Shift Toward Child Online Safety
The announcements from the UAE and UK signal a growing international trend toward stricter regulation of social media platforms and stronger protections for children online.
Governments worldwide are increasingly concerned about excessive screen time, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, online exploitation, addictive algorithms, and the impact of social media on mental health.
By introducing tougher age-verification systems, limiting risky platform features, and strengthening parental controls, both countries aim to create a safer digital environment while balancing children’s access to technology with their wellbeing.
As policymakers continue to grapple with the challenges posed by rapidly evolving digital platforms, the UAE and UK initiatives are likely to influence future child online safety regulations around the world, potentially setting a new global standard for social media governance.
