Türkiye will ban children under 15 from using social media starting Nov. 1, introducing stricter age-verification requirements and new safeguards for teenagers as the country moves to protect young people from online risks.
The regulation was published Saturday in Türkiye’s Official Gazette, following the adoption of legislation by parliament in April.
It requires social media providers operating in the country to introduce technical and administrative measures, including age verification, to prevent children from accessing restricted services.
The rules prohibit platforms from offering services to children under 15 and state that “no service likely to produce an addictive effect in children may be offered.”
Under the new requirements, social media companies must establish systems to verify users’ ages and prevent underage account registrations.
Existing accounts suspected of belonging to children under 15 will be subject to verification, with confirmed underage accounts facing closure. Platforms have until March 31, 2027, to complete age verification for existing accounts.
The regulation also introduces additional protections for users aged 15 to 17, requiring platforms to provide age-appropriate services with stricter default privacy settings.
Teenagers’ accounts must remain private, while follower and following lists must be hidden from other users.
Messaging will be restricted to accounts they already follow, livestreaming will be prohibited, and personalized advertising will not be permitted.
Platforms must also disable infinite-scrolling feeds and introduce technical safeguards to prevent screenshots of teenagers’ profile photos, posts and images.
Social media providers will be required to offer parental control tools that allow parents to manage account settings, monitor and limit screen time, and approve paid transactions and purchases.
The measures cover social networking services accessible in Türkiye, including Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord and Reddit, among others.
Turkish authorities have presented the restrictions as a child-protection measure, citing concerns about excessive screen time, sleep disruption, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, eating disorders and the commercial exploitation of young users.
The new rules place Türkiye among a growing number of countries seeking to limit children's access to social media. Australia introduced a nationwide ban for users under 16 in December 2025, while France and Britain have pursued restrictions aimed at protecting younger users from online harm.
The international push reflects growing concerns among governments and families about the effects of social media on children's well-being, particularly the risks associated with addictive platform features, harmful content and online harassment.
Türkiye's new framework also places greater responsibility on technology companies to enforce age restrictions rather than relying solely on parents to supervise children's online activities.
The effectiveness of the measures will depend on how platforms verify users' ages, prevent underage access and implement the new safeguards.
Their enforcement will also be closely watched as governments worldwide weigh how to protect children online while maintaining access to digital services.
