Preparation of Social Media Regulation for Children Under 15 in Turkey

With the new regulation adopted in the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, social media restrictions for children under 15, the establishment of age verification systems, and e-Government integration are being implemented.

New Regulation Adopted in Parliament

Within the scope of the new regulation adopted in the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in April, platforms are mandated to establish age verification systems and prevent children from accessing content that is not suitable for their development.

While it has become mandatory to offer age-appropriate and segregated services for users over 15, YouTube Turkey announced that following the new regulation, it may be forced to close accounts belonging to those under 15.

Ministry Statements and Preparation Process

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş stated in a broadcast she attended on March 28 that they aim to protect children from all kinds of risks and harmful content by introducing social media restrictions for children under 15.

Stating that the regulation is the product of about 1.5 years of work, Minister Göktaş explained that comprehensive discussions were held with experts, families, children, and social media companies during this process.

Experts' Views on the Regulation

Prof. Dr. Selman Tunay Kamer, Artificial Intelligence Studies Coordinator at Kastamonu University Faculty of Education, emphasized that this regulation should be evaluated as a protection mechanism rather than a ban.

Lawyer and academic Yaman Akdeniz stated that there are serious question marks regarding the scope and effects of the application, and that age verification via e-Government could mean matching the identity information of all users with their accounts.

e-Government Integration and Global Examples

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek stated in a statement on April 22 that individuals who want to use a social media account will receive a verification code via e-Government and log into social media with this code.

Similar social media bans and restrictions have also been brought to the agenda and started to be implemented in various bodies around the world, such as Australia and the European Parliament.