15 age limit on social media platforms starts on November 1

With the social media regulation published in the Official Gazette, platforms are prohibited from providing services to children under the age of 15. While the application goes into effect for newly opened accounts starting November 1, age verification for existing accounts will be completed by March 31, 2027.

Pursuant to the "Regulation on the Provision of Segregated Services Specific to Children by Social Network Providers and Age Verification" published in the Official Gazette, social media network providers will not be able to provide services to children under 15 years of age starting from November 1. According to Turkish Statistical Institute data, it is stated that 66.1 percent of approximately 12 million children in the 6-15 age group use social media, and in this context, 7 million 932 thousand children and 10 million social media accounts will be affected by the regulation.

As of November 1, the starting date of the application, age verification will be mandatory only for newly opened accounts, and individuals under the age of 15 will not be able to open accounts after this date. Existing accounts will not be closed until March 31, 2027; during this period, verification can be made via the turkiye.gov.tr address or the "age verification token" on the official E-Government mobile application. Existing accounts that are not verified by the specified date will be closed.

The Cyber Security Presidency issued a warning against fraudulent activities during the process, urging caution against fake links and emails. It was emphasized that age verification procedures will be carried out completely free of charge via E-Government, that links coming via SMS or email should not be clicked, and that passwords should not be shared.