Social media ban for children: UAE introduces age limits and verification systems
Social media ban for children under 15 has received official approval from the United Arab Emirates government, blocking minors from accessing TikTok, X, and YouTube. The new legislation eliminates parental consent as a workaround for the restriction. Tech platforms must implement mandatory identity verification systems and artificial intelligence technologies to confirm user age.
For years, the digital sphere developed without state oversight. The previous approach relied on verbal warnings and symbolic checkboxes during registration. Now, nations are shifting to direct regulation. The UAE follows a global trend: Australia, Malaysia, Turkey, and Indonesia have already implemented limits, while the governments of France, Germany, Spain, and Canada are drafting similar bills.
Human rights organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Privacy International, highlight the downside of these laws. Age verification systems build a digital surveillance infrastructure, forcing users to disclose personal data and lose anonymity. Experts fear that mechanisms designed to protect minors will eventually expand to monitor the online activity of the entire population.
