Hada News
Egypt bars independent social media accounts for under-13s; platforms face a 30-day plan deadline and three months to comply
A joint resolution from Egypt's media and telecoms regulators, announced on 17 September, also requires a locked-on Safe Mode for users aged 13 and 14. A regulatory tracker puts the platforms' plan deadline at 20 October, though the regulators have published no calendar dates; two rights groups said on 29 September that the full text had not been published.
Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) and the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) have issued a joint resolution setting out how social media platforms must treat users under 15. The NTRA published the announcement on 17 September, saying the move follows presidential directives on protecting young people online.
Two age bands. For children under 13, platforms must not create, activate or offer independent personal accounts. For users aged 13 to under 15, accounts are allowed, but a Safe Mode must switch on automatically and the child cannot turn it off alone while in that band. Platforms must use effective and proportionate age checks, stop users getting round the age limit, follow personal-data protection principles and collect as little data as possible for verification. They must also review existing accounts that are shown, or judged likely on reliable evidence, to belong to under-15s, and offer a clear route to appeal and correct an age recorded in error.
The clock: according to the regulators, platforms must file an implementation plan and timetable within 30 days of the resolution's publication and notification to them, and bring their services into line within three months of the date it takes effect. The published announcement gives no calendar dates. Digital Policy Alert, a regulatory tracker, counts from 20 September and dates the plan deadline to 20 October and full compliance to 20 December; the regulators have not confirmed either date.
What is still unclear: the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and Masaar said in a joint statement on 29 September that the full text had not been released, and asked the regulators to publish it with its legal basis and safeguards. They note that the announcement does not say whether games with chat, or services that mix posting and messaging, are covered, and sets out nothing for 15- to 17-year-olds. NTRA spokesperson Mohamed Ibrahim said on television, in remarks reported by Shorouk on 18 September, that the resolution rests on the existing media, telecoms and information technology laws, and that a wider bill reaching betting platforms and violent games is under discussion with parliament.
Why it matters: for families, schools and platform policy teams in Egypt, keeping under-13s off personal accounts and defaulting younger teens to Safe Mode becomes a regulatory duty rather than a terms-of-service clause, and age checks will reach existing accounts as well as new sign-ups.
Sources: NTRA announcement, 17 Sep 2026; Shorouk, 18 Sep 2026; EIPR and Masaar joint statement, 29 Sep 2026; Digital Policy Alert tracker.
Watch next: whether SCMR or NTRA publishes the full resolution, which age-verification methods platforms propose in their plans, and the progress of the bill in parliament.