New age verification rules aim to safeguard young users online, while experts stress the continued role of parents and schools.
For many UAE families, the issue is no longer whether children are using the internet, but how safely they are engaging with the digital world. As the country moves to strengthen controls around children’s social media use, experts are encouraging parents to look beyond age restrictions and pay closer attention to online habits, potential risks and digital behaviours that can affect children’s wellbeing.
Under new regulations approved by the UAE Cabinet on June 18, 2026, children below the age of 15 will not be allowed to create or operate personal social media accounts. The rules will also require platforms to implement stronger age-verification measures and limit access to specific features for younger users.
Social media companies have been granted a 12-month transition period, with full compliance expected by mid-2027.
Experts urge balanced approach as UAE tightens children’s social media rules
While many social media platforms already enforce minimum age requirements, experts say children are often entering the digital world much earlier due to peer influence, easy access to smartphones and the growing role online platforms play in friendships, education and daily communication.
Mental health professionals, educators, cybersecurity specialists and legal experts say the UAE’s new regulations represent an important step towards creating safer online spaces for children. However, they stress that laws alone cannot replace guidance from parents and schools.
They say protecting children online will require a collective effort involving families, educational institutions, regulators and technology companies.
Social media’s growing impact on children
Mental health experts say concerns over children’s social media use have increased in recent years, with growing evidence highlighting links between excessive screen time and emotional, behavioural and developmental challenges.
Dr Ruqaya Awawdeh, Specialist Psychiatrist at Sultan Bin Zayed Hospital in Sharjah, said parents should present restrictions as a protective measure rather than a punishment.
“I always recommend open communication with the child, explaining that the goal of delaying social media use is to protect their mental health and support their development, not to deprive or punish them,” she said.
She added that children should be encouraged to explore meaningful alternatives, including sports, hobbies, reading and face-to-face social activities.
“These experiences build a child’s character and foster a sense of belonging more effectively than the virtual world,” she said.
According to Dr Awawdeh, excessive social media use among children and teenagers has been associated with concerns including anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, low self-esteem, cyberbullying and declining academic performance.
She also highlighted the impact of reduced physical activity and fewer real-world interactions, noting that younger children may face delays in developing language and social skills when digital engagement replaces direct experiences.
The psychiatrist also pointed to emerging research on excessive screen use and symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“However, this does not mean that screens directly cause ADHD. The disorder has well-known genetic and neurological factors, but excessive use may exacerbate symptoms or make them more pronounced, especially when combined with sleep disturbances and constant exposure to fast-paced, highly stimulating content,” she explained.
Schools and parents must work together
For some parents, concerns over online safety become clearer after discovering the hidden digital activities children may engage in.
One parent said they discovered that their child had created anonymous accounts separate from their main profile, where they shared videos and interacted with older users without revealing their identity.
The parent said the experience highlighted the risks children can face online, including exposure to inappropriate conversations and people misrepresenting their age.
Educators say schools are increasingly addressing the challenges linked to younger children accessing social media.
Akram Tarik, Principal and CEO of GEMS Founders School – Al Mizhar and Founders Brand Ambassador, said many children are joining platforms before reaching the minimum age requirements set by companies.
“In my experience, children are being exposed to social media at an increasingly young age, often well before the minimum age set by the platforms themselves. Schools work incredibly hard to educate children and families about the risks and age restrictions, but this remains challenging,” he said.
Tarik said early smartphone access, peer pressure and the normalisation of social media within family life have all contributed to the trend.
He stressed that access does not always mean children are emotionally prepared to handle online environments.
“Schools have robust policies and educational programmes in place to promote safe and responsible use,” he said.
However, he noted that issues such as cyberbullying, online comparison, pressure for validation, exposure to unsuitable content, disrupted sleep and difficulty disconnecting from platforms remain ongoing concerns.
Tarik added that online conflicts often extend beyond school hours and affect children’s home lives, making parental involvement essential.
“Schools play an important role through digital citizenship education and safeguarding, but they cannot address these challenges alone. Parents, educators, regulators and technology companies must work together to protect childhood and help young people develop a healthy, balanced relationship with the online world,” he said.
Understanding the new regulations
One of the main concerns among parents is how social media platforms will enforce the new age restrictions.
Ashish Mehta, founder and Managing Partner of Ashish Mehta & Associates, said the UAE’s resolution takes a technology-neutral approach by requiring platforms to introduce effective age-verification systems rather than depending solely on users entering their age.
He explained that approved verification methods may include government digital identity checks, official document verification with biometric matching, AI-based age estimation, approved age-verification providers or other mechanisms approved by the Child Digital Safety Council.
Mehta said platforms must also be prepared to integrate with approved national age-verification systems when required.
He added that while VPN use is not generally prohibited in the UAE, using such tools to bypass restrictions may result in penalties.
“Given that individuals under the age of 15 are categorically prohibited from accessing social media platforms under the regulation, the use of VPN to bypass this local prohibition and access social media platform may attract penalties,” he said.
Protecting privacy while improving safety
Cybersecurity specialists say effective enforcement will require advanced technology while ensuring children’s privacy is protected.
Darrel Virtusio, Researcher at Acronis TRU, said no single system can completely prevent attempts to bypass age restrictions.
“These technologies can make age restrictions much harder to bypass, but none are foolproof on their own. The aim should be meaningful risk reduction rather than assuming that every attempt at circumvention can be prevented,” he said.
Virtusio said digital identity verification offers strong assurance by checking age against official records, while biometric matching and live verification can help confirm the identity of account users.
AI-based age estimation can provide another layer of protection by assessing whether a person appears to be above or below a certain age threshold without necessarily identifying them. However, accuracy may vary, particularly among users close to the minimum age limit.
He said the most effective systems would likely combine different methods, using AI-based checks for lower-risk cases and stronger verification where uncertainty remains.
At the same time, Virtusio warned against creating large databases containing sensitive personal information.
“Strong security controls, independent audits, data minimisation and clear deletion policies will be essential. A system that limits children’s access, but creates large databases of sensitive identity or biometric information, would reduce one risk while introducing another,” he said.
