Children under 15 will be barred from accessing social media in Turkey
The age of current users will be verified by March 31, 2027
Social media platforms in Turkey must stop providing services to children under the age of 15. The new rules will take effect on November 1: platforms will be required to verify users’ ages and prevent anyone below the threshold from registering.
The requirements have already been published in the country’s official gazette. They follow legislative changes set out in a bill that the Turkish parliament passed in April.
When creating a new account, users will have to verify their age using a special token linked to Turkey’s government e-services system. Existing accounts will have a transition period: platforms must complete verification of account holders by March 31, 2027. Accounts belonging to children under 15 will have to be closed.
Users aged 15–17 will be allowed to remain on social media, but their accounts will be subject to separate requirements:
- profiles must be private by default;
- published content must be filtered;
- personalized ads must not be shown to these users;
- they will be prohibited from livestreaming;
- platforms must introduce technical measures to prevent screenshots from being taken in these accounts.
Social media platforms are also required to provide parents with tools to monitor their children’s accounts. These must allow parents to:
- manage account settings;
- limit time spent on the platform;
- approve paid transactions.
Companies that fail to comply may face fines of up to 3% of a platform’s global revenue. Turkish law also allows violators to be subjected to an advertising ban and restrictions on internet connection speeds.
Denmark is also planning to ban children under 15 from using social media.
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