The UAE government has said technology companies must make protecting children integral to their operations by linking effective age verification tools across platforms as a safety net.
Personal data used to verify age cannot be stored by social media platforms and will need to be deleted immediately, government officials said at a briefing in Dubai on the UAE Cabinet decision to restrict under 15s from using social media.
Penalties will be issued if the new resolution is not adhered to, or in the case of any attempts to manipulate data, after a 12-month period during which officials will have intensive discussions with technology companies on age-verification methods.
Sana Suhail, UAE Minister of Family and chairwoman of the Child Digital Safety Council, said the resolution was vital because it guarantees the protection of children from potential risks.
“The main message we are trying to convey through this resolution is clear – it does not limit technology usage nor restrict the opportunities that children can get,” Ms Suhail said on Wednesday at the briefing.
“On the contrary, it regulates access based on scientific and organised research frameworks that take into consideration different needs of phases of a child’s development.”
Regulating access to social media for children under 15 will increase social media companies' responsibilities while also providing guidance to families.
“This will enhance the responsibility of digital platforms to make protection of children an integral part of the operation of those platforms by implementing effective measures for age verification,” Ms Suhail said.
“The success of this resolution will not come only with the law enforcement. No, it will be successful only when all partners collaborate. Educational institutions will build awareness, government entities will develop policies and regulatory frameworks, digital platforms have the direct responsibility of providing a safer environment for our children.”
Why under-15?
The UAE decision was based on scientific research, analysis and intensive discussions on the development needs of children and the digital risks they face when exposed to content that is not age-appropriate.
“Everything we do is in the interest of children,” Ms Suhail said. “Culture is not built on content. If children don’t know how to use content and keep scrolling for long hours, it will make them lose an important part of building character identity and culture.”
“Under-15 is a sensitive time of puberty and teenage transition, and we need to take them safely to maturity. We want all our residents, whether citizens or expats here, to benefit with their time and health so they can contribute effectively to our country.”
The UAE Cabinet resolution is the first in the Arab world and will give technology companies 12 months to align their networks with the new regulations.
Children under 15 will not be allowed to create, use or operate personal social media accounts. Those aged 15 to 16 will be subject to safeguards when using social media.
How will rules be enforced?
The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority will have an integral role in verifying compliance by social media platforms and in ensuring that companies adhere to regulations.
The TDRA called on companies and families to collaborate, as the new measures are a safety net built to protect and prioritise children, not to prohibit and restrict access to technology.
“Our most important priority is to protect our children in the digital world … our commitment is to protect children,” said Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, TDRA director general.
“There will be penalties when non-compliance or negligence is proven. A 12-month transition will allow gradual compliance and adaptation to the resolution. During this time, we will be keen to work with different platforms to ensure complete compliance at the end of the transition period.”
Mr Al Mesmar said any attempts to manipulate age restrictions would be dealt with severely.
“There will be effective age verification measures – no more would we rely on a personal pledge. This resolution also implements the highest standards of data protection. It prohibits keeping of data out, there will audits and monitoring on an ongoing basis to ensure transparency.”
Fake ages and data
The TDRA said a variety of measures would be used to verify data, including AI tools.
“For age verification, there will be various techniques to check the age of the user,” Abdulrahman Al Marzouqi, TDRA director of the policy and programmes department, told The National.
“In the UAE, we have national platforms that can be used to integrate to know the age of the user, while also preserving the privacy. It will be a platform where a user can provide, for example, their mobile number or some kind of identifier.
“And then the platform will know the age of the person without knowing the rest of the details. They will not even know the date of birth but will know the age bracket. This is something we are developing through discussion with the platforms and we will hopefully reach a solution.”
He said there was no ban on under-15s making content, as long as parents were present during creation and filming.
“The decision does not prohibit content creation,” he told a young social media influencer. “You can continue sharing creative ideas and content but under the oversight of parents.
“They are the ones that should be filming your content and should be present while creating it. As long as your content is positive, they should be the ones who handle your account.”
