Turkey to ban social media use by children under 15 from November 1
In short
Turkey will ban social media use by children under 15 from November 1, Russian outlets reported. Platforms will have to verify users' ages and apply additional privacy and safety restrictions to teenage accounts.
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Turkey will prohibit social media use by children under 15 from November 1, Kommersant, vc.ru and iXBT reported. Kommersant said the requirement appeared in a regulation published in the country's official gazette. iXBT reported that the document was published in Resmi Gazete on October 10, after parliament passed the relevant bill in April this year. TASS also reported restrictions on children's social media use from November 1. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Platforms will have to verify users' ages through the e-Devlet public-services system and reject applications that do not meet the age requirement, Kommersant reported. According to iXBT, the system will generate a digital token indicating whether a person has reached age 15 or 18, without including a name or other personal information. iXBT said age verification must be completed by March 31, 2027. [ 2 , 5 ]
Additional rules will apply to teenage accounts. Kommersant and iXBT reported that these accounts would be private and that minors would not be allowed to livestream or receive personalised advertising. iXBT specified an age range of 15 to 18. The reports differed on messaging: Kommersant said messages could come only from followers, while iXBT said only accounts followed by the teenager could send them. [ 2 , 5 ]
Kommersant also reported that teenagers would not receive recommendations for other accounts or be able to synchronise their social media with their phone contacts and lists of friends and followed accounts on other services. Platforms must provide parents and guardians with tools to manage children's profile settings, set time limits for social media use and approve paid transactions, the outlet reported. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The rules require private accounts and prohibit livestreaming and personalised advertising for minors. Platforms must also give parents and guardians controls over children's profiles, usage time and paid transactions.
Key facts
- The ban on social media use by children under 15 takes effect on November 1. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Platforms will use age verification through the e-Devlet public-services system. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Teenage accounts will be private, with livestreaming and personalised advertising prohibited. [ 2 , 5 ]
- iXBT reported that age verification must be completed by March 31, 2027. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The reports differ on which contacts can send messages to teenage accounts. Kommersant says only followers may send messages; iXBT says messages may come only from accounts the teenagers follow.