Age verification and new restrictions introduced for child users on social media
With the new regulation published in the Official Gazette, e-Government-based age verification has become mandatory on social media, accounts for children under 15 have been banned, and strict security measures have been introduced for the 15-17 age group.
Within the scope of the new regulation prepared by the Presidency's Cybersecurity Directorate and published in the Official Gazette, accounts for those under 15 on social media are being closed, and an e-Government-based age verification process is being initiated for all users.
New Regulation Published in the Official Gazette
The regulation introducing an age limit and verification obligation for social media use in Türkiye was published in the Official Gazette dated October 10, 2026.
The regulation, prepared by the Presidency's Cybersecurity Directorate, was implemented based on the additional article 4 of Law No. 5651.
Dates for New and Existing Accounts
The age verification requirement for newly opened accounts will enter into force on November 1, 2026.
A period until March 31, 2027, has been granted for existing accounts opened previously to complete age verification or meet the necessary conditions.
Bans for Children Under 15
Social network providers will not be able to offer services to children under the age of 15, and requests from this age group to open new accounts will be rejected.
Existing accounts determined to belong to individuals under 15 or those that fail to complete verification within the specified period will be closed.
e-Government Based Age Verification System
Age verifications will be carried out via the e-Government Gateway through the relevant service of the Cybersecurity Directorate.
The digital token to be created will not contain identity or date of birth information; only the information on whether the user has passed the age thresholds will be transmitted to the platform.
Security Measures for the 15-17 Age Group
For users between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, the ban on broadcasting live streams and the use of infinite scrolling algorithms have been prevented.
Accounts will be kept private by default, and children's data cannot be processed for profiling and personalized commercial advertisements.
Parental Control Tools and Sanctions
Social network providers will be required to offer Turkish-supported control panels where parents can manage usage times and spending limits.
Sanctions such as administrative fines of up to 3 percent of global turnover, advertising bans, and bandwidth throttling can be applied to platforms that do not comply with the rules.