Social media restrictions for children in Turkey to start on November 1
A regulation banning social media for children under 15 and granting limited use rights to those aged 15-18 via e-Government verification is entering into force.
A new regulation in Turkey that bans social media for children under the age of 15 and grants limited usage rights to children aged 15-18 through age verification via e-Government is entering into force on November 1.
Scope of the regulation and enforcement date
The regulation, which imposes a social media ban on approximately 17.5 million children under the age of 15 in Turkey, enters into force on November 1. The implementation regulation of the law adopted in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) was published by the Presidency's Cyber Security Directorate. The Regulation on the Provision of Differentiated Services Specific to Children by Social Network Providers and Age Verification grants children aged 15-18, a group comprising 3 million 850 thousand people, the right to use social media.
Age verification system with e-Government
Under the law, social network providers will be required to establish an age verification system for children who have turned 15 in Turkey. The age verification process will be carried out via the e-Government Gateway. The age verification token generated through e-Government will only contain information on whether the user has turned 15, and if they have turned 15, whether they have turned 18.
Limited usage rules for ages 15-18
Children aged 15-18 will not be able to use social networks as they wish. Social network providers will be required to differentiate their services for this age group in a way that protects their best interests and their physical, mental, psychological, social, and emotional development. High-level privacy settings for children will be applied by default.
Prohibitions imposed on social network providers
Social network providers will not be able to offer services that could have an addictive effect. Accounts of children who have turned 15 will be private, and making the account public will not be allowed. The accounts they follow and their followers will not be visible to other users; only accounts they follow will be able to send messages, screenshots cannot be taken, and live broadcasts cannot be opened.
Obligation of parental control tools
Social network providers will develop parental control tools to monitor children's accounts. These tools will include mechanisms for controlling account and feature settings, requiring parental consent for purchases and memberships, spending limits, monitoring usage time, and location sharing.
Time granted for verification and loopholes
Accounts that have not been verified using an age verification token are granted a period until March 31, 2027. Until this date, children aged 15-18 will have to have their accounts verified through e-Government, otherwise, their accounts will be closed.
Expert criticisms and legal process
Prof. Dr. Yaman Akdeniz, one of the founders of the Freedom of Expression Association, stated that the regulation contains an overreach of authority and that the e-Government obligation has been made applicable to everyone over the age of 15. Expressing his concerns that the system could turn into a surveillance tool, he noted that they would file a lawsuit with the Council of State as an association.
New regulations for gaming platforms
A new regulation regarding gaming platforms is also entering into force on November 1. While the regulation does not impose a general ban on gaming platforms for those under 15, it mandates that games be subject to age classification, that parental control tools be provided, and that foreign-sourced gaming platforms with daily access exceeding 100,000 from Turkey must have a representative.