Social media age limit regulation published in the Official Gazette
While the new regulation restricts children's social media use, according to the decision entering into force on November 1, 2026, verification of existing accounts will be conducted until March 31, 2027.
Aiming to protect children in digital environments, the new social media regulation has been published in the Official Gazette, announcing its implementation calendar. Within the scope of the regulations, access to social networks for children under 15 is banned, while various security and privacy measures have been introduced for young users.
Ban and Timeline for Under 15s
Social network providers will no longer be able to offer services to children who have not turned 15. Account opening requests for those under the age of 15 will be rejected and their existing accounts will be closed.
While the new regulation is scheduled to enter into force on November 1, 2026, age verification procedures for existing accounts must be completed by March 31, 2027.
Age Verification and Security Principles
For age verification, it is aimed to implement a system via e-Government that only shows the age range without sharing identity information.
In line with the procedures to be applied, contact list synchronization will strictly not be permitted.
Restrictions for Ages 15-18
For users between the ages of 15 and 18, accounts will be set to private by default and live broadcasting will be prevented.
Personalized advertisements will not be shown to this age group, the infinite scrolling method will be banned, and messages can only be received from followed accounts.
Privacy and Parental Control Tools
Other users will in no way be able to view the follower and following lists of children's accounts.
Platforms are mandated to offer Turkish-supported parental control tools so that parents can control their children's account settings and limit usage times.