The Turkish Parliament approved a ban on social media accounts for children under the age of 15

Turkey’s parliament approved a bill that introduces restrictions on access to social networks for children under 15 years of age.

The adoption was reported by “European Pravda” citing the Associated Press.

The document requires platforms to implement age verification for users, provide parental control tools, and respond more quickly to harmful content. In addition, children under 15 will be prohibited from creating accounts.

The decision was made against the backdrop of an investigation into a school shooting in the city of Kahramanmaraş, where a 14-year-old teenager killed nine pupils and a teacher. Law enforcement are analyzing his online activity to determine the motives for the attack.

The law will enter into force after being signed by the head of state — the document still has to be approved by Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Publicly assessing the impact of social networks on children, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used a sharp characterization.

— We live in a time when some apps for sharing digital content corrupt the minds of our children, and social networks, frankly, have turned into cesspools

The opposition Republican People’s Party criticized the initiative, stressing that children should be protected “not by bans, but by rights-based policy.”

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