Age Limit of 15 Introduced on Social Media Platforms
Under a regulation published in the Official Gazette, children under the age of 15 are banned from opening social media accounts, while age verification will be carried out via e-Government.
In accordance with the new regulation prepared by the Presidency's Directorate of Cybersecurity and published in the Official Gazette, children who have not reached the age of 15 are prohibited from opening and using social media accounts. Within the scope of the regulation, age verification will be conducted through the e-Government Gateway.
New Regulation Published in the Official Gazette
The regulation containing new age limits and obligations regarding social media use has been published in the Official Gazette, establishing its implementation processes.
Prepared by the Presidency's Directorate of Cybersecurity, the regulation introduces comprehensive rules aimed at protecting children in digital environments.
Social Media Ban for Under-15s
Pursuant to the provisions of the published regulation, social network providers will not be able to offer services to children who have not reached the age of 15 and will not approve account opening requests.
In age verification processes, direct identity disclosure will not be made, and methods that only allow determining the age threshold will be preferred.
Age Verification via e-Government
Age verification will be securely carried out through an age verification token to be generated via the e-Government Gateway.
Within the framework of the regulation entering into force on November 1, the completion of the verification process will be requested for existing accounts.
Process for Existing Accounts
It has been made mandatory to complete age verification procedures for currently active existing accounts until March 31, 2027.
As a result of the checks to be performed, the accounts of users determined to be under the age of 15 will be closed.
Segregated Service for Children Over 15
A child-specific segregated service model will be applied for child users who have reached the age of 15, and additional security measures will be put into effect.
Within this scope, child accounts will be kept private by default, and starting live broadcasts and personalized advertisements will not be allowed.
Parental Control Tools and Sanctions
Social network providers are obliged to offer tools enabling parents to control account settings and limit usage times.
Networks with more than 10 million daily accesses are subjected to the obligation to implement harmful content decisions within at most one hour and various sanctions.