A teenager who received explicit photograph at age 12 and parents who battled social media addiction share their thoughts on the UAE’s new age restrictions for children
When Dubai student Z.A. was 12, he received a request on his private social media account from someone claiming to be a few years older than he was. “The sender claimed to be a 19-year-old college girl whose boyfriend was ignoring her,” he recalled. “I was confused why she was messaging me, and then I noticed she also sent me a nude photo. I immediately deleted it and reported the message.”
The 15-year-old said that although the incident happened over three years ago, he still remembers being confused and fearful for several days. He admitted that after a few days, he became curious and wondered if he had done the right thing. “It was a mixed emotion, and I now understand I was too young to be exposed to such content,” he said. “I never told anyone about it until years later.”
On Thursday, the UAE issued a new resolution banning children under 15 from accessing social media platforms. Those aged 15 to 16 will be permitted to access social media with restrictions.
Z.A. has mixed feelings about the move: “While I wouldn’t want another youngster to go through what I did, I don’t know if banning social media is the solution,” he said. “I keep in touch with all my school friends on Instagram and TikTok and plan meet-ups and outings. So now, it is unimaginable not to have access. But maybe when no one has access, younger students will find ways to communicate.”
Parents welcome social media ban in UAE
Dubai mother Janet (name changed for privacy) faced huge issues because of her daughter’s addiction to social media. “She was a good student until we gave her a phone for her thirteenth birthday,” she said. “Her grades started slipping, and she dropped out of after-school activities after that.”
The school alerted Janet when her daughter began falling asleep in class. “She would be up till 2 or 3am scrolling on social media,” she said. “When I realised what was happening, I tried to stop her, but my daughter was determined. Eventually, I had to take the phone away. It caused her to lash out and other issues, but now we are in a better place.”
Janet, who also has a nine-year-old son, said she was relieved to hear of the UAE Cabinet’s decision to ban social media for those under 15. “Social media is an absolute minefield,” she said. “Children cannot and should not be allowed on it without controls. I think it is a great initiative by the UAE government, and I am happy I won’t have to go through the same uphill battle with my son as I did with my daughter.”
Social media etiquette
Mother Ayesha said one of the biggest challenges has been teaching her 15-year-old daughter about social media etiquette. “The students in my daughter’s school communicate on Snapchat largely because they think it is more private,” she said. “However, nothing is truly private. Anything you send on Snapchat can be viewed by groups sitting together or by someone recording on a second phone. Nothing you put on social media is private. This is something I have struggled to make my daughter understand.”
Ayesha added she hoped the social media ban would prompt conversations about the etiquette teenagers should follow on such platforms. “Social media is like an engine, and youngsters should not operate it without some training or basic education,” she said. “I think this is the first step in making social media safer for everyone.”
