At a time when Governments around the globe are increasingly concerned about the safety of juvenile networks, Reuters reports that the United Arab Emirates has set the minimum age for the use of social media at 15 years as the first Arab country to impose such restrictions.
According to a resolution approved on Thursday, children under the age of 15 will be prohibited from creating, using or operating personal social media accounts. The UAE Media Office stated that the ban meant that underage children would not be able to publish content, comment, share or join public groups.
Young people aged 15 and 16 will be allowed to use social media platforms, subject to stricter security measures, including age-appropriate content control, restrictions on interaction with unknown users, screen time management tools and parental oversight functions.
The rules apply to all social media platforms operating in the Emirates and impose stricter age verification measures on companies, including digital identification and artificial intelligence-supported technologies. The age of self-declaration by the user will not be accepted as a valid form of authentication.
The Platform must also block accounts created by children under 15 years of age to prevent users from being exposed to age certification systems and must not use children ‘ s personal data for targeted advertising or behaviour analysis.
The Government indicated that these measures were aimed at addressing concerns about inappropriate child access to content, unsafe online interactions, overuse of social media and personal data collection. Social media companies will have a buffer period of up to 12 months to comply with the new regulations.
The United Arab Emirates stated that the framework was consistent with the efforts of the international community to strengthen online child protection, taking into account digital access and security.
Currently, a number of countries, including Australia and a number of countries in Europe, have taken measures to tighten restrictions on the use of social media for children out of growing concern about the impact of social media on mental health and online security.
