Today's Edition
DUBAI (WAM)
The Child Digital Safety Council convened a media briefing to introduce the Cabinet Decision regulating children's access to social media platforms, and outline its provisions and implementation mechanisms, in coordination with the relevant authorities.
The briefing was attended by Sana bint Mohammed Suhail, Minister of Family and Chairperson of the Child Digital Safety Council.
Held at Creators HQ in Dubai, the briefing also saw the attendance of Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Director-General of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA); Dr Hussein Abdulrahman Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention; Maitha Majid Al Suwaidi, Chief Executive Officer of the Media Strategy and Policy Sector at the National Media Authority, as well as representatives of local and international media organisations and content creators.
Sana bint Mohammed Suhail affirmed that establishing an advanced national framework for child digital safety is one of the strategic pillars of the UAE's vision for human development, reflecting the leadership's forward-looking vision that has made child protection and family empowerment enduring pillars of the nation's development journey.
She noted that the UAE continues to proactively advance its legislative and policy frameworks to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the digital landscape, ensuring the sustainability of a safe digital environment that supports children's healthy and balanced development, enhances quality of life in line with the objectives of the Year of Family, and helps build a society that is better prepared for the future, in support of the goals of the UAE Centennial 2071.
The Minister of Family explained that the decision marks a significant milestone in the UAE's ongoing efforts to develop forward-looking policies that keep pace with global digital developments. As the digital world has become an integral part of children's lives, and a vital space for learning, creativity and skills development, it has become imperative to establish a regulatory framework that enables children to benefit from these opportunities in a safe and balanced manner, she said.
She noted that the decision is underpinned by a proactive, preventive philosophy that regulates access to social media platforms through clear, age-appropriate safeguards, ensuring that children retain their right to learn, explore and develop while, at the same time, mitigating the risks associated with inappropriate or unsupervised use.
She added, “The decision establishes a progressive model of shared responsibility by clearly defining the respective roles of government entities, digital platforms ,and families, thereby strengthening the effectiveness of the UAE's national framework for protecting children in the digital environment. In parallel, the Child Digital Safety Council will continue to develop practical tools and guidance to help parents oversee their children's use of modern technologies, while digital platforms will be required to meet clearly defined regulatory and technical requirements.
"Together, these measures will foster a more balanced digital environment, empower future generations to engage with technology responsibly and confidently, and enable them to play an active role in the nation's development journey.”
Sana bint Mohammed Suhail further noted that the decision adopts a regulatory model that responds to children's evolving needs at every stage of development, recognising that digital protection requirements change as children grow. This has led to the introduction of a graduated set of safeguards that strikes a careful balance between nurturing children's capacity to learn, interact and create while also providing protection tailored to the characteristics and developmental needs of each age group, thereby supporting healthy and well-balanced development within the digital environment.
The decision establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework governing children's access to social media platforms. It sets 15 years of age as the minimum age for creating and operating personal social media accounts, requiring platforms to prevent children below this age from creating or using accounts or accessing the full range of interactive platform features.
Children aged 15 and under 16 may access social media platforms within an enhanced protection framework specifically designed for this age group. This includes restricting certain high-risk features, providing parents with dedicated supervision and parental-control tools, introducing appropriate usage controls, and applying heightened safeguards to both digital content and online interactions.
The decision further reinforces the UAE's comprehensive national legislative framework for the protection of children and families, which comprises more than 50 legislative and regulatory instruments, including laws, executive regulations, policies and Cabinet decisions. It also strengthens the responsibility of digital platforms to implement robust and reliable age verification mechanisms that safeguard privacy and personal data while adhering to the principle of data minimisation.
To support effective implementation, platforms will be granted a transitional period to achieve full compliance within a clear regulatory oversight framework designed to strengthen the effectiveness, consistency, and long-term sustainability of enforcement.
Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), stated that the decision establishes a clear regulatory framework defining the responsibilities of social media platforms operating in, or targeting users within, the UAE. The framework is designed to foster a safer digital environment for children while strengthening compliance with the approved regulatory and technical standards.
He explained that the decision governs account creation and the use of social media platforms through clearly defined requirements, and establishes age verification as one of the fundamental pillars of child protection by requiring reliable, accurate, and proportionate mechanisms that are fit for purpose, while fully upholding the highest standards of privacy and personal data protection.
Al Mesmar further noted that the TDRA will oversee platforms' compliance with the provisions of the decision, and take the necessary regulatory action wherever violations are identified, ensuring the effective enforcement of its requirements.
He added that social media platforms will be granted a 12-month transitional period to meet the new compliance obligations, allowing sufficient time to upgrade their technical systems and progressively align them with the new regulatory requirements. This phased approach, he said, will support the sustainable implementation of the decision in accordance with international best practices in digital governance.
During the media briefing, Dr Hussein Abdulrahman Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), affirmed that the decision reflects a broader and more holistic understanding of public health, one that extends beyond physical wellbeing to encompass mental, behavioural and digital health.
He explained that the decision is grounded in scientific research and evidence relating to children's cognitive and social development. Numerous studies, he noted, have found that unbalanced or excessive use of social media platforms may be associated with a range of common health concerns, including sleep disorders, anxiety, stress, social isolation and diminished concentration. This, he said, underscores the importance of fostering awareness of healthy digital practices tailored to the developmental needs of each age group.
Dr Al Rand further noted that the Ministry of Health and Prevention works in close partnership with national institutions to deliver preventive and awareness programmes that promote the principles of balanced digital engagement and strengthen the mental wellbeing of children and adolescents. These efforts are complemented by initiatives to build the capacity of healthcare professionals and empower families to create supportive environments that encourage children to adopt healthy and balanced lifestyles.
He stressed that the success of this national approach depends on the seamless integration of efforts across government entities, educational institutions, the healthcare sector, digital platforms and families, thereby contributing to the development of a healthier and more sustainable society.
Maitha Majid Al Suwaidi, Chief Executive Officer of the Media Strategy and Policy Sector at the National Media Authority, underscored that the decision reinforces the UAE's media governance framework for child protection, while elevating the responsibility of media organisations and digital platforms to provide age-appropriate content that responds to children's developmental needs at every stage of childhood. Such content, she noted, plays a vital role in expanding knowledge, nurturing skills and instilling positive values, while keeping pace with the rapid evolution of the digital content ecosystem.
She added that the National Media Authority continuously monitors media content directed at children, and assesses compliance with national standards and applicable legislation, driven by the firm conviction that protecting children extends beyond shielding them from harm to actively supporting content that enriches knowledge, develops capabilities, and reinforces positive societal values.
She further noted that, in collaboration with the Child Digital Safety Council, the National Media Authority will introduce national standards for children's media content, alongside a policy and guidance framework for the age classification of media content. These initiatives will establish a national reference framework that supports media organisations, digital platforms and content creators, while empowering parents to make more informed decisions about content and contributing to the media content enhancement in a safer digital environment.
She also emphasised that the implementation of the decision and its impact will be continuously monitored to ensure that the policy framework evolves in line with emerging developments and future challenges. She noted that the success of the decision will ultimately be measured by its ability to strengthen children's safety in the digital environment, raise public awareness, empower families, and reinforce platforms' compliance with the prescribed regulatory requirements and standards for content intended for children.
Abdulrahman Al Marzouqi, Director of the Policies and Programmes Department at the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), affirmed that the UAE's implementation of the decision is underpinned by the strategic partnerships and constructive collaboration it has established with the world's leading social media platforms.
He noted that these platforms have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to complying with the UAE's national laws and regulatory frameworks, particularly those relating to child protection. Their flexible technological architectures, he explained, enable them to adapt their systems efficiently to meet the specific regulatory requirements of different jurisdictions.
Addressing the effectiveness of the age verification mechanisms and the measures designed to prevent their circumvention, Al Marzouqi explained that the regulatory approach underpinning the cecision is centred on the adoption of intelligent, proactive technological solutions that protect privacy while monitoring the efficient enforcement of the decision.
He further stressed that the success of the framework ultimately depends on shared responsibility, supported by informed families and the education system as a key partner in guiding children towards safe and responsible digital engagement.
Al Marzouqi further emphasised that the UAE's digital ecosystem regards the protection of privacy and the confidentiality of personal data, particularly that of children, as a non-negotiable principle. He clarified that the Government's role is confined exclusively to regulation and oversight of platforms' compliance with the legislative framework, without any involvement in monitoring personal accounts or tracking individuals' online activities.
He added that the approved age verification mechanisms fully adhere to the highest international standards of digital governance and the principle of data minimisation, ensuring the protection of users' digital identities while safeguarding their privacy in full.
The decision establishes an advanced age verification framework built on reliable technological and regulatory mechanisms. These include the UAE PASS, official identification documents, AI-powered age estimation technologies, and state-approved age verification service providers.
Self-declaration of age will not be recognised as a valid means of age verification, ensuring the effectiveness of the protective measures, reinforcing the reliability of their implementation, and fully upholding the highest standards of privacy and personal data protection.
The decision also requires social media platforms to take the necessary measures to identify and address non-compliant accounts and prevent attempts to circumvent the age verification mechanisms. It further empowers the competent authorities to issue the guidance and technical and regulatory requirements necessary to ensure its effective implementation.
These measures will strengthen the efficiency of enforcement, provide a flexible framework capable of adapting to evolving technological developments, and support the long-term sustainability of the UAE's child digital safety ecosystem.
