Country profile

United Arab Emirates age-verification & online ID laws

Scheduled Child Digital Safety Law (+ under-15 social-media ban) effective Comply by Jan 1, 2027

The UAE's Child Digital Safety Law requires platforms to implement risk-based age-verification systems, with a compliance deadline of Jan 1, 2027.

Laws & bills on record

Social media

Scheduled
Bill / statute
Child Digital Safety Law (+ under-15 social-media ban)
Status
Passed, not yet in effect
Effective
Comply by Jan 1, 2027
Intrusiveness
High -- Broad reach: low or no content threshold, device/OS-level, or bundled with other verification.

The UAE's Child Digital Safety Law requires platforms to implement risk-based age-verification systems, with a compliance deadline of Jan 1, 2027. On June 18, 2026 the UAE also announced a ban on social media for under-15s, to take effect by mid-2027.

Timeline
  • Jun 18, 2026Scheduled
  • Jan 1, 2027In effect

Source: cepa.org

VPN restrictions

Legal for legitimate business use, but using a VPN to access blocked content carries heavy fines; many consumer providers are ISP-blocked.

Source: freedomhouse.org

Frequently asked questions

Does United Arab Emirates require age checks or ID to use social media?

Yes, though it is not yet in force. Child Digital Safety Law (+ under-15 social-media ban) is scheduled, effective Comply by Jan 1, 2027. The UAE's Child Digital Safety Law requires platforms to implement risk-based age-verification systems, with a compliance deadline of Jan 1, 2027.

When does United Arab Emirates's age-verification law take effect?

United Arab Emirates's law (Child Digital Safety Law (+ under-15 social-media ban)) is scheduled to take effect Comply by Jan 1, 2027.

Are VPNs restricted in United Arab Emirates?

Legal for legitimate business use, but using a VPN to access blocked content carries heavy fines; many consumer providers are ISP-blocked.

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