New Era for Youth on Social Media and Age Verification System
With the new regulation prepared by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, various technical restrictions are introduced for the 15-18 age group, and an e-Government-based age verification process is also starting.
Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş shared the details of the new social media regulation prepared to protect children from digital risks and screen addiction with the public.
Objective of the Regulation
With the newly prepared regulation, it is aimed to effectively protect children and young people from various risks in digital environments and screen addiction.
Age Verification via e-Government
According to the new model, users who want to open an account on platforms for the first time will be directed to the e-Government system, and accounts can be created with the digital verification code to be obtained.
In suspicious cases, platforms will temporarily suspend the account and redirect users to e-Government verification again.
Restrictions Imposed on the 15-18 Age Group
Accounts of users in the relevant age group will be configured in such a way that they cannot start live broadcasts, take screenshots, or screen recordings.
Endless scrolling and pull-to-refresh features that increase screen addiction will be disabled for this age group.
Messaging and Advertising Regulations
Young users will only be able to receive messages from accounts they follow, and the read receipt feature will be kept disabled on these accounts.
Additionally, these users will be protected against continuous exposure to advertisements.
Compliance Process and Timeline
It was announced that the regulation will enter into force as of November 1, while social media platforms were granted until March 31, 2027, to adapt their technical infrastructure.