Mandatory Age Verification on Social Media Begins
The era of age verification has begun on social media platforms. While the requirement has been introduced for new accounts, the deadline for existing accounts has been announced as March 31, 2027.
As of November 1, 2026, age verification has become mandatory for new account openings on social media, while the deadline for existing accounts has been set as March 31, 2027. Fraud warnings were issued regarding the process to be conducted via e-Government.
While age verification was made mandatory for new account openings on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Facebook, Snapchat, and Threads platforms on November 1, 2026, WhatsApp and Telegram were excluded. It was announced that the deadline granted for existing accounts is March 31, 2027, and accounts that are not verified by this date or determined to be under 15 years old will be closed and their data deleted.
Users will be able to transmit only whether they exceed the age limit through the single-use digital token system via the e-Government Gateway, without sharing explicit identity information such as Turkish ID number, name, or date of birth. For accounts closed in error, a Turkish, free-of-charge appeal process reviewed by real persons will be provided. For teenagers between the ages of 15-18, accounts will be private, live streaming will be blocked, and infinite scrolling and auto-video playing will be disabled.
The Center for Combating Disinformation of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications emphasized that fake SMS messages, emails, or links sent under the pretext that accounts will be closed should not be trusted. It was reminded that the age verification process is completely free of charge and is carried out solely through official e-Government channels.
Sources
- guneydoguekspres.com · Link