Egypt Imposes Age Restrictions on Social Media Accounts to Protect Children

Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation announced new age-based restrictions on social media accounts, developed jointly with the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. The measure aims to shield children from content and practices that threaten their psychological, social, and digital safety, while ensuring their secure engagement with technology.

Account access rules by age group

Under the decision, digital platforms must prohibit independent account creation for users under 13 years of age. For users aged 13 to under 15, accounts are permitted—but only if a mandatory, automatically activated “safe usage mode” is enforced. Children within this age bracket cannot disable the mode independently at any point during their time in this category.

Regulatory intent and scope

Khaled Abdel Aziz, head of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, emphasized that the measures are not intended to deprive children of technological access or isolate them from digital advancement. Rather, the objective is to ensure technology use aligns with children’s developmental stage and capacity to recognize and manage associated risks.

Expert assessment and timing concerns

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, educational and psychological expert Dr. Mona Lamloum described the decision as important—though belated. She noted that several European countries have already implemented comparable safeguards for minors online.

Risks driving the policy

Lamloum stressed the necessity of controls to prevent privacy violations and exposure to harmful content—particularly citing documented cases where children’s images were misappropriated and digitally superimposed onto inappropriate material, resulting in psychological and social harm to victims and their families. She also identified additional threats, including exposure to violent or age-inappropriate material and unsupervised communication with strangers—factors requiring clear, effective enforcement mechanisms.

Implementation and parental responsibility

Lamloum underscored that issuing the decision alone is insufficient. Its implementation must be accompanied by comprehensive awareness initiatives targeting parents and guardians on how to monitor their children’s smartphone and social media use. She warned that blanket bans may backfire, as children could resort to using a parent’s device or alternative means to access the same content.

Proposed alternatives and oversight models

The expert advocated for the development of safe, age-appropriate digital alternatives that support communication and interaction in environments tailored to children’s developmental needs. Among her proposals were child-specific platforms supervised by adults, equipped with content-filtering systems to block violent or unsuitable material, segmented by age groups, and designed with strict limitations on interactions between minors and unknown users.

Multilateral protection framework

Lamloum affirmed that protecting children requires coordinated action across regulatory bodies, parents, and digital platforms—alongside sustained public awareness efforts on safe usage and the provision of suitable digital alternatives.