The UAE has become the latest country to ban social media for children, introducing a minimum age of 15 and requiring platforms to implement robust age-verification measures.
Under new rules approved by the Cabinet, children under 15 will be prohibited from creating or operating social media accounts, while 15 and 16-year-olds will be subject to enhanced protections, including restrictions on content, interactions with strangers and screen time.
The move places the UAE among a growing number of countries seeking to curb children's access to social media amid concerns over mental health, online safety, addictive design features and exposure to harmful content.
Here are the countries that have already introduced restrictions – or are moving towards them.
Australia
On December 10 last year, Australia became the first country in the world to introduce a nationwide social media ban for children under 16. The law requires major platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from holding accounts or face fines of up to $49.5 million. Platforms affected include Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, X and YouTube.
Indonesia
Indonesia became the first Asian country to implement a social media ban for children this year. Since March 28, accounts for under-16s on "high-risk" platforms were deactivated, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and Roblox.
"Our children are facing increasingly real threats, ranging from exposure to pornography, cyber bullying and online scams, to addiction, which is the most significant concern," said Meutya Hafid, the country's communications and digital affairs minister, when announcing the ban in early March.
"The government is stepping in so that parents no longer have to fight alone against the giants of algorithm-driven platforms."
Malaysia
Malaysia began enforcing rules barring children younger than 16 from having social media accounts on June 1. Social media platforms with at least 8 million users in Malaysia, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, must implement age-verification systems and block users under 16 from creating accounts, the country's Communications and Multimedia Commission said.
Users identified as under 16 have been given a month to download or transfer data, including photos and videos, before restrictions or other actions are applied.
Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of up to 10 million ringgit ($2.5 million), the Associated Press reported, but parents whose children manage to bypass the law will not be penalised.
UAE
The UAE Cabinet approved a social media ban for children under the age of 15 on June 18. The Cabinet, led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, issued the ruling to "establish an advanced model for child protection in the digital space".
Social media platforms have a transitional period of up to 12 months to bring their operations into compliance, the Cabinet's resolution said.
UK
The UK will introduce a full ban on social media and gaming sites for children under the age of 16 "within a year", Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on June 15.
The sweeping reforms will prohibit children from accessing sites such as TikTok and Instagram, as well as live-streaming and gaming sites. "Do we truly believe that social media creates a happy environment for our children?" Mr Starmer asked at a media briefing while announcing the move.
“We're not just bringing forward a ban, we're going further, we're taking world-leading action on gaming services and live-streaming platforms, where at the moment strangers can contact any child unchecked,” he added.
France
France's National Assembly approved legislation to ban children under 15 from social media. The bill was approved by the lower house in January, but has to be passed by the Senate before it becomes law.
President Emmanuel Macron called for the government to accelerate the next steps "so that this ban takes effect as early as next school year", which begins in September.
Countries proposing a ban
Spain
Spain has also proposed a ban on social media for children under 16. While the ban needs parliamentary approval, the proposed law will protect children "from the digital Wild West", Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
"Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone. We will no longer accept that. We will protect them," Mr Sanchez said in a speech at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in February.
Denmark
The Danish government announced in November last year that it had secured an agreement by three governing coalitions and two opposition parties in parliament to ban access to social media for anyone under the age of 15.
Minister for Digital Affairs Caroline Stage, who announced the proposed ban, told AP last year there is still a consultation process for the measure and several readings in parliament before it becomes law, perhaps by “mid to end of next year”.
“In far too many years, we have given the social media platforms free play in the playing rooms of our children. There’s been no limits,” Ms Stage said.
Norway
Norway announced in April that it would present a bill to parliament by the end of this year to ban children under 16 from using social media and hold technology companies responsible for age verification.
"We are introducing this legislation because we want a childhood where children get to be children," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.
