French President Emmanuel Macron has praised a decision by the United Arab Emirates Cabinet regulating children's access to social media platforms, which sets the minimum age for social media use at 15, making the UAE the first Arab country to take such a legislative step.
The French president published a post on his official account on the platform X, reacting to the UAE decision and commenting: "Thanks for joining the movement" — a reference to international efforts aimed at protecting children and adolescents from the dangers of the digital space.
According to the decision, children under the age of 15 are prohibited from creating, using, or operating personal accounts on social media platforms. They are also barred from accessing the full features of these platforms, including social interaction, publishing, commenting, sharing, joining public groups, open channels, or any large-scale interactive spaces. The decision requires platforms to take all necessary technical and regulatory measures to achieve this, and takes into account a gradual transition towards more balanced and healthy digital habits, in line with the different age stages of children and young people.