How age verification will work
Speaking at the briefing Eng. Majid Sultan Al-Masmar, Director General of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), said platforms must adopt the highest standards to verify users’ ages and protect children online.
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Digital government identity.
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Scanning an official identity document.
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An official identity document combined with biometric verification, such as facial recognition.
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AI-powered age estimation using biometric technologies.
Stronger data protection for children
Al-Masmar said protecting children’s personal information would remain a key requirement throughout the verification process. “There will be minimum gathering of data of minors. Social media apps cannot store or use this data. It is strictly confined to the age verification process,” he said.
Platforms will have 12 months to implement the required systems under an institutional integration framework.
Penalties for non-compliance
Al-Masmar also confirmed that authorities will have broad enforcement powers against platforms that fail to comply with the new requirements.
These measures include administrative penalties as well as the ability to partially or completely block access to non-compliant platforms within the UAE.
Many major social media platforms, including those operated by companies such as Meta and TikTok, already use age verification tools in some markets, including government ID checks, facial scanning, video selfies and AI-based age estimation. Under the UAE’s new rules, such verification measures will become mandatory for platforms operating in the country.