Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Turkey will ban children under the age of 15 from using social media starting November 1, 2026, under new regulations published in the Official Gazette on Saturday, introducing mandatory age verification, strict default privacy settings for teenagers, and a requirement that platforms disable features designed to encourage compulsive use. The regulation, issued by the Cyber Security Directorate under legislation adopted by parliament in April, prohibits social network providers from offering services to minors who have not reached the age of 15. "Providers cannot provide services to children who have not reached the age of 15," the regulation states, adding that "no service likely to produce an addictive effect in children may be offered."
The rules represent one of the most sweeping attempts by any government to regulate minors' access to social media, placing Turkey alongside a growing list of countries legislating to protect children from online risks. 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 Turkish framework, however, goes further than most by placing the burden of enforcement squarely on technology companies rather than parents, requiring platforms to establish technical systems to verify ages and prevent underage registrations. Platforms must prioritise personal data protection in their verification methods, using approaches that determine only whether a user meets the age threshold rather than establishing full identity.
The regulations also introduce a distinct set of protections for users aged 15 to 17. Accounts belonging to teenagers must remain private by default, with follower and following lists hidden from other users. Messaging will be restricted to accounts they already follow, livestreaming will be prohibited, and personalised advertising will not be permitted. Platforms must disable infinite-scrolling feeds and introduce technical safeguards to prevent screenshots of teenagers' profile photos, posts and images. Parental control tools are mandatory, allowing parents to manage account settings, monitor and limit screen time, and approve paid transactions and purchases.The rules cover social networking services accessible in Turkey, including Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord and Reddit, among others.
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 requires providers to make the reliability of their verification methods, algorithm structures and child-focused service policies "clear, auditable and testable for users, parents and the directorate," and to create clear, user-friendly parental control tools.
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 government has framed the initiative as a necessary response to what it describes as the addictive design of social media platforms and their impact on children's physical, mental, psychological, social and emotional development.The April legislation that underpins the regulations was adopted by parliament after months of debate over how to balance child safety with freedom of expression and access to digital services.
The new rules have not been universally welcomed. Rights groups have complained of restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey targeting LGBTQ communities, the media and the political opposition, and numerous social media accounts have been blocked in recent weeks.Critics argue that the ban could be used as a pretext for broader censorship and that age verification requirements raise privacy concerns, particularly given the Turkish government's history of prosecuting online speech. The Cyber Security Directorate has sought to address privacy concerns by stipulating that verification methods must determine only whether a user meets the age threshold rather than establishing identity, but digital rights advocates remain sceptical about how such systems will operate in practice.
The effectiveness of the measures will depend on how platforms verify users' ages, prevent underage access and implement the new safeguards. Turkey's decision to require platforms to disable infinite scrolling and restrict messaging for teenagers reflects a growing international consensus that certain platform features are inherently harmful to young users. Whether other countries follow Turkey's lead in imposing such detailed design requirements remains to be seen, but the regulation places the country at the forefront of a global push to hold technology companies accountable for the well-being of their youngest users.
The ban is scheduled to take effect on November 1, 2026, giving platforms less than a month to prepare their technical infrastructure and audit mechanisms. The coming months will determine whether the regulations achieve their stated objective of protecting children from online harm, or whether they become another example of a well-intentioned policy that proves difficult to enforce in practice. For Turkish families, the measure offers the prospect of relief from concerns about their children's screen time and online safety. For technology companies, it represents a significant new compliance burden and a test of their willingness to adapt their products to the demands of a government determined to reshape the digital environment for minors. As Turkey joins Australia, France and Britain in legislating restrictions on children's social media use, the country's experience will be closely watched by governments worldwide weighing how to protect young people online without compromising access to the digital services that have become integral to modern life.
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