New Age Limit and Rules Determined for Children's Social Media Use
While mandatory age verification via e-Government has been introduced to open accounts on social media, various restrictions and new control mechanisms are being put into effect for the safety of child users.
Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş shared the details of the new social media regulation prepared to protect children in digital environments following the Cabinet Meeting.
Mandatory Age Verification via e-Government
Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş announced that in order to open accounts on social media platforms, it will be required to verify through e-Government that the user has completed 15 years of age. With this system, stricter controls are aimed to be implemented during account openings on digital platforms.
It was stated that a two-stage and continuous age verification mechanism will be operated with e-Government integration during account creation and usage processes. The application aims to increase the safety of children in the internet environment.
Transition Period and Effective Date
It was announced that the new regulation will officially enter into force as of November 1. In this context, a compliance process with temporary provisions will be operated until March 31, 2027, to enable platforms and users to adapt to the system.
Restrictions for the 15-18 Age Group
Within the framework of the regulation, certain feature restrictions that will affect the social media experiences of young users aged between 15 and 18 have been introduced. Features such as infinite scrolling, screen recording, and broadcasting live will be disabled for users in this age group.
Messaging and Privacy Measures
Communication rules have been reorganized to increase the safety of children in digital environments. According to the decision taken, only accounts followed by the child users themselves will be able to send them messages, and the read receipt feature will be disabled.
Goal of Combating Screen Addiction
With this new regulation implemented by the Ministry, it is aimed to rescue children from screen addiction and protect them from being constantly exposed to advertisements. The measures taken are expected to contribute to protecting the mental and physical health of children.