The UAE under-15 social media ban came into force on 30 June 2026, and schools reopening this week are the first to navigate a full academic year under rules that place the enforcement burden on platforms, not parents.
UAE Ministry of Family published Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2026, issued on 17 June 2026, which requires social media platforms to actively monitor, detect and disable existing personal accounts belonging to children under 15. Parental consent cannot override the ban: the resolution explicitly states that caregiver approval carries no weight as an exception to the prohibitions.
Platforms have until 30 June 2027 to achieve full compliance. The Telecommunications and Digital Regulatory Authority (TDRA) has powers to take all necessary measures against platforms that fail to meet the deadline, according to reporting by DW citing state news agency WAM.
What the UAE under-15 social media ban requires of platforms
The resolution implements the broader Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2025 on Child Digital Safety, which took effect on 1 January 2026. That law covers websites, search engines, messaging apps, gaming platforms, live streaming services, e-commerce platforms and social media, and applies to any platform targeting UAE users regardless of where the company is based.
Under the same framework, platforms are prohibited from collecting or processing personal data of children under 13. Platforms used for educational or health purposes may be exempted, subject to a separate UAE Cabinet resolution.
For children aged 15 to under 16, platforms must apply age-appropriate content restrictions, limit interaction with unknown users, enforce screen-time controls and provide parental supervision tools. Caregivers may adjust account settings for this group through those tools, provided the adjustments do not conflict with the resolution’s own prohibitions. The full text is available via the UAE Legislation Portal.
DW News reported, citing WAM, that the UAE is the first Arab country to implement a full platform-level ban on under-15 access to social media.
How schools and families are managing the adjustment
Claire Scowen, Vice President and Global Lead of Safeguarding and Child Protection at GEMS Education, said the school’s role goes beyond reducing access. ‘Removing the distractions associated with social media can support children’s ability to focus and engage,’ she said, adding that schools should distinguish between screen time and screen use rather than treating all digital activity the same way.
Carolyn Yaffe, counsellor and cognitive behaviour therapist at Medcare Camali Clinic, said platforms are designed to capture and repeatedly redirect attention, making sustained focus harder. Fewer platform distractions, she said, could allow students to engage more deeply in lessons and support healthier sleep routines.
Yaffe also cautioned that social media serves as a communication channel for many children, and its removal could leave some feeling isolated or anxious during the adjustment period. Parents and schools can ease that by encouraging face-to-face interaction through sports, arts and extracurricular activities.
Nashwa Tantawy, psychologist and managing director of Nafsology Psychology Center in Dubai, described the transition as a form of ‘social grief’ for children who have built routines around social platforms, particularly where peers continue to have access. She recommended that parents present the restrictions as a lifestyle change rather than a punishment, validate children’s emotions and maintain clear routines.
All three experts said the restrictions do not remove the need for digital literacy. Children still need to understand privacy settings, digital footprints, how algorithms work and how to recognise misinformation, Scowen said. The skills matter because the UAE under-15 social media ban delays, rather than eliminates, children’s eventual return to platforms.
Background on the data-protection obligations platforms must now meet for under-13s is also published by The Media Line. The TDRA’s enforcement window opens when the 12-month transitional period closes on 30 June 2027.
