Young Saudis find freedom in social media

Riyadh

LIFE for many young Saudis is an ecosystem of apps. Lacking free speech, they debate on Twitter. Since they cannot flirt at the mall, they do it on WhatsApp and Snapchat.

Young women who cannot find jobs sell food or jewellery through Instagram. Since they are banned from driving, they get rides from car services such as Uber and Careem. And in a country where shops close for five daily Muslim prayers, there are apps that issue a call to prayer from your pocket and calculate whether you can reach, say, the nearest Dunkin' Donuts before it shuts.

Confronted with an austere version of Islam and strict social codes that place sharp restrictions on public l…