Egypt restricts social media accounts for children under 13

Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation has banned social media accounts for children under 13 and mandated automatic safe-use mode for users aged 13–15.

• The Supreme Council for Media Regulation, with the National Telecom Regulatory Authority, banned creating, activating, or enabling independent personal accounts for children under 13 on social media platforms.
• The ruling requires platforms to activate safe-use mode automatically and mandatorily for users aged 13 to under 15, with the child unable to disable it alone.
• Council head Khaled Abdel Aziz said the measures aim to ensure technology is used in ways matching children's ages, not to isolate them from digital development.
• NTRA spokesperson Mohamed Ibrahim said platforms have one month to present implementation mechanisms for approval and a three-month period to align current child users with the new rules.
• NTRA deputy head Mohamed Ibrahim said child SIM card services have seen tens of thousands of subscribers over the past two months.
• Ibrahim said the services block dangerous games, betting apps, and inappropriate content and are free during the trial period.
• The decision was issued Thursday, following a presidential directive from Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to protect children under 15.
• Egypt is preparing a separate draft law regulating children's internet use as part of its ongoing regulatory efforts.