Social Media Restriction for Children Under 15 Begins on November 1

As the social media restriction for children comes into life on November 1, the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) proposed a gradual transition model instead of a general ban.

In the report written by center director Sinan Ülgen, it was emphasized that there is no reliable evidence yet showing that a comprehensive age ban reduces online risks. The report argued that the absolute service ban for children under 15 should be replaced by a gradual, risk- and feature-based access regime. Furthermore, it was requested that strong obligations based on the principle of safety-by-design be introduced for services used by anyone under 18.

Stating that the prepared regulation contains three fundamental ambiguities, the report pointed out that the concept of social network provider in Law No. 5651 was not originally designed as a child development classification. It was noted that applying a categorical access rule through this definition might cover services with different functions while excluding similar risks in gaming, messaging, or new environments. It was recorded that the phrase "will not provide service" could mean not opening accounts, not offering personalized functionality, or completely blocking access, and that this distinction is constitutionally important.

Drawing attention to the risk of age verification turning into identity verification, the report stated that one of the fundamental principles of the system to be established in Turkey should be preserving the legal and technical difference between knowing whether a person is at least 15 years old and knowing who they are. It was emphasized that the goal of the law is to enforce the age threshold, and this goal does not require every user to disclose their name, surname, Turkish ID number, exact date of birth, or official ID document to the social network provider.