The Turkish Parliament has passed a comprehensive law extending parental leave and introducing strict limits on children’s social media use, in a move targeting both family welfare and digital safety.
Under the legislation approved in the General Assembly, maternity leave for working women has been increased from 16 weeks to 24 weeks, while paternity leave has been doubled from five days to 10 days, significantly expanding support for working parents.
The law also introduces a nationwide ban on social media use for children under the age of 15. Platforms will be required to implement robust age verification systems to prevent underage access.
Companies that fail to comply with the new rules will face heavy administrative fines as well as potential advertising bans, according to the legislation. Türkiye is preparing a sweeping overhaul of social media regulations that would require users to verify their identities through the e-Government (e-Devlet) system before accessing major platforms, in a move officials say will increase transparency and curb online crime, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said. Under the proposed system, users opening accounts on social media platforms would be redirected to the e-Government portal, where their identities would be verified. Instead of sharing personal data directly with the platforms, the system would generate a unique, user-specific digital key confirming the verification.
Lawmakers said the measures aim to both strengthen family structures and protect children from risks associated with digital platforms.
