مصر تمنع حسابات الأطفال دون 13 عامًا على منصات التواصل الاجتماعي

The regulatory authorities in Egypt have issued a joint decision requiring social media platforms to take new measures to enhance the protection of children and youth from digital risks, while establishing specific controls for creating and using personal accounts for those under the age of 15.

The decision, issued by the Supreme Council for Media Regulation and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, is based on the directives of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to all state and community institutions regarding the protection of children and youth from the dangers and misuse of social media.

The decision aims to provide a safer digital environment for children, protecting them from content and practices that may pose risks to their psychological, social, and digital safety, while simultaneously preserving their right to benefit from technology in a safe and responsible manner.

Prohibition of Accounts for Those Under 13

The decision categorizes the targeted age groups for protection into two main categories, starting with children under the age of 13.

The decision obliges social media platforms not to create, activate, or allow independent personal accounts for children under 13 years old.

The second category includes children aged 13 to under 15 years, where platforms may allow accounts for this group, but with the application of a set of mandatory controls.

Mandatory Safe Mode

The new procedures stipulate the automatic and mandatory activation of Safe Mode for accounts belonging to users aged 13 to under 15 years.

A child is not permitted to disable this mode independently for the entire duration of their presence in this age group, aiming to provide a level of protection that corresponds to the user's age and the nature of the digital risks they may face.

The rules also require platforms to take effective and proportionate measures to verify users' ages and prevent circumvention of age limits, while adhering to principles of personal data protection and minimizing the amount of data collected for age verification purposes.

Review of Existing Accounts

The procedures are not limited to new accounts; social media platforms must review existing accounts and take necessary actions to regularize accounts that are proven or likely, according to reliable mechanisms, to belong to users under the age of 15.

In return, the decision obliges platforms to provide a clear mechanism for appeals and correcting age in cases where there is a proven error in determining the user's age.

“Supreme Media Council”: Protecting Children is a Shared Responsibility

For his part, the head of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, Engineer Khaled Abdel Aziz, affirmed that protecting children and youth in the digital environment has become a shared responsibility between the state, family, community, and digital platforms.

He explained that President Sisi's directives represent a clear framework for the actions of state institutions aimed at providing a safer environment for children and youth.

Abdel Aziz emphasized that the goal of the new measures is not to deprive children of technology or isolate them from digital development, but rather to ensure their use of this technology within a safe and responsible framework that corresponds to their ages and ability to deal with digital risks.

He pointed out that the Supreme Council for Media Regulation places special importance on protecting children from harmful content, as well as from forms of exploitation, bullying, harassment, extortion, and other risks they may face through digital platforms.

He affirmed that child protection must remain a fundamental priority in building a safe and responsible digital community.

“Telecommunications Regulation”: Protection Levels According to Age

For his part, the CEO of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Engineer Mohamed Shamroukh, stated that the authority is working on forming an executable and technical system that combines protecting children and youth from digital risks while respecting users' privacy and digital rights.

He clarified that the new decision is based on the principle of age-appropriate protection and risks, so that not all users are treated through a uniform model, but rather different levels of protection are applied according to age group and the nature of the risks associated with using the platform.

Shamroukh confirmed that protecting children in the digital environment is not the responsibility of a single entity, but requires an integrated system of cooperation between the state, digital platforms, parents, and the community, alongside ongoing technical and regulatory development to keep pace with the rapid changes in the nature of digital risks.

3 Months for Social Media Platforms to Comply

The decision grants social media platforms a deadline of no more than three months from the date of its implementation to fulfill all the requirements and procedures outlined in it and to regularize their situations.

It also obliges platforms to submit an executive plan and a timeline detailing the technical and operational procedures necessary for compliance with the decision, within 30 days from the date of its publication and notification.

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority confirmed that these measures are part of the Egyptian state's approach to building a safe and responsible digital environment, placing the protection of children and youth at the forefront of its priorities.

Both parties emphasized that the new controls aim to achieve a balance between protecting children from digital risks and preserving their right to benefit from technology in a safe and balanced manner, while respecting their privacy and digital rights.