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UAE Cabinet Resolution 106 requires age verification for under-15 social media accounts, and expressly permits AI age-estimation
UAE Cabinet Resolution 106 of 2026 is active as of 30 June 2026. It bars under-15 personal accounts on covered social platforms and lists AI age-estimation among approved verification methods.
Bottom line: This is binding UAE Cabinet law for covered social-media platforms. Under-15 personal accounts are prohibited, and AI age-estimation is an expressly permitted verification method alongside government ID and licensed providers.
Who this affects: Social platforms available in or directed at the UAE, plus vendors selling AI/biometric age-assurance into those platforms.
Effective date: 30 June 2026 (Official Gazette 29 June 2026, No. 826).
What changed: Art. 3 sets a 15-year minimum. Art. 4 bans self-declaration and permits AI age-estimation. Art. 5 requires platforms to verify age and suspend non-compliant under-age accounts.
Analysis: If you sell age-assurance into UAE-facing products, treat AI estimation as one approved path, not a free pass. TDRA auditability and user notice still sit on the mechanism.
Primary sources: uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4506
- Instrument (native / EN)
- Cabinet Resolution No. (106) of 2026 Regarding the Regulation of Children's Access to Social Media Platforms
- Authority
- UAE Cabinet; TDRA (audit of age-verification mechanisms); Child Digital Safety Council (additional approved mechanisms)
- Jurisdiction
- United Arab Emirates
- Status
- Active · Effective 30 June 2026
- Bindingness
- Binding Cabinet Resolution
- Effective / next deadline
- 30 June 2026
- Primary source
- UAE Legislation portal
What changed
On 17 June 2026 the UAE Cabinet issued Resolution No. 106 of 2026 on children's access to social media platforms. The official legislation portal lists Gazette publication on 29 June 2026 (No. 826) and an effective date of 30 June 2026, with legislation state Active.
Article 2 applies to social media platforms whose services are made available within the State or directed at users therein. The Art. 1 definition of social media platforms includes services that rely on algorithmic systems or automated technologies for displaying, ranking, or recommending content.
Article 3 prohibits children who have not attained fifteen (15) years from creating, using, or operating any personal account on covered platforms.
Article 4 requires age-verification mechanisms to be capable of review and audit by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority, with clear user information. Permitted mechanisms include digital government identity or official-document verification with biometric matching; age-estimation technologies utilizing artificial intelligence, including biometric means; approved licensed age-verification providers; and other mechanisms approved by the Child Digital Safety Council. Self-declaration or unapproved mechanisms shall not be recognised.
Article 5 requires covered platforms to implement approved effective age verification, detect accounts belonging to children below the specified age created contrary to the Resolution, and take immediate action to suspend or disable them.
Who is affected
Covered social-media platforms available in or directed at the UAE, regardless of where the provider is established.
Vendors of AI age-estimation and biometric age-assurance tools sold into those platforms.
US product, privacy, and counsel teams supporting UAE-facing consumer products that create personal accounts for young users.
Practical consequence for the US professional
Map whether your product or a client product is available in the UAE or directed at UAE users. If it creates personal social accounts, the under-15 rule and approved verification list are live operating constraints.
If you rely on AI age-estimation, confirm the mechanism can be audited by TDRA and that users get clear information about how it works. Self-declaration is not enough under Art. 4.
Keep the Arabic text in view for interpretation conflicts. The portal disclaimer states Arabic prevails.
Cross-border duty hook
This is not a general UAE AI Act. It is a child digital-safety resolution that names AI age-estimation as one permitted compliance tool. Pair it with the existing UAE federal AI and data authority page and DIFC autonomous-systems rules when you build a Gulf exposure map.
Treat UAE Res 106 as live for UAE-facing social platforms: under-15 personal accounts are out, self-declaration is out, and any AI age-estimation path must be TDRA-auditable and user-transparent.
Source File
https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/4506
Open the UAE Legislation page for Cabinet Resolution 106/2026 and confirm Effective Date 30 Jun 2026, Art. 3 (age 15), and Art. 4(b) AI age-estimation language.
Age-estimation technologies utilizing artificial intelligence, including biometric means.
FAQ
Is Cabinet Resolution 106 in force?
Yes. The official UAE Legislation portal lists Effective Date 30 June 2026 and Legislation State Active after Gazette publication on 29 June 2026 (No. 826).
What is the minimum age?
Article 3 prohibits children who have not attained fifteen (15) years from creating, using, or operating any personal account on covered social media platforms.
Is AI age-estimation mandatory?
No. Article 4 lists AI age-estimation, including biometric means, as one permitted age-verification mechanism among others. Self-declaration is not recognised.
Does it reach foreign platforms?
Article 2 applies to platforms whose services are made available within the UAE or directed at users therein, regardless of the provider's place of establishment.
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