Age verification era begins for social media platforms in Turkey
As of November 1, 2026, age verification via e-Government has been made mandatory for accessing social media platforms in Turkey. While users under 15 are blocked from opening accounts, existing accounts must be verified by March 31, 2027.
Within the scope of the regulation published in the Official Gazette on October 10, 2026 in Turkey, the age verification process for users accessing social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and X from a Turkish IP comes into effect on November 1, 2026. According to the Cyber Security Presidency guide, users will prove their age by entering electronically signed tokens obtained via e-Government into the platforms; account opening requests for users under 15 will be rejected, and restricted access will be offered to the 15-18 age group.
The verification process works by entering the unique request code generated by the platforms into the e-Government Gateway, and the system generating a token (JWT) containing the age status. Existing accounts that are not verified by March 31, 2027 will be permanently closed. Tourists, on the other hand, will be able to log into the system by obtaining an exemption token using their passport information.
Within the scope of the regulation, a child-specific segregated service model will be applied for users in the 15-17 age group. Users in this group will only be able to receive messages from accounts they follow, and their follower lists will be hidden. Platforms state that no personal data other than the age threshold will be shared during the age verification process.
Sources
- sabah.com.tr · Link