LONDON: As governments move to tighten rules around children’s access to social media, Saudi users appear to be sending a different message: not rejection, but growing caution, selectiveness and a demand for stronger guardrails.
In the Arab world, the discussion has become more visible following recent measures in the UAE and Turkiye. The UAE’s new law will bar social media platforms from offering services to children under 15 and places obligations on platforms, regulators and caregivers.
Yet behind the policy debate, users — especially younger ones — are already changing their behavior on their own. According to a recent Deloitte survey in Saudi Arabia, 41 percent of respondents said social media access should be limited to those aged 16 and above, with support rising to 66 percent among Gen Z.
“This points us towards a ‘cost–benefit’ view among young Saudis, wherein they value social media, use it heavily, but also believe that the ‘timing’ and ‘guardrails’ are important, especially for younger teens,” Emmanuel Durou, partner and TMT leader at Deloitte Middle East, told Arab News.
“Even if the respondents personally use social media a lot, they may believe the environment is engineered to be addictive.”
