Türkiye to bar children under 15 from social media starting in November

Türkiye’s social media age-verification regulation will take effect on November 1. Children under 15 will not be able to open new accounts, while protective restrictions will apply to teenagers aged 15 to 18.

A regulation requiring social media platforms in Türkiye to verify users’ ages and provide a separate service for children will take effect on November 1, 2026. The regulation was prepared by the Cybersecurity Presidency under the Presidency of Türkiye and published in the Official Gazette on October 10.

Under the regulation, platforms will not be allowed to provide their services to children under 15, and any request to open a new account from this age group will be rejected. The rules cover domestic and foreign platforms available in Türkiye, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp and Discord.

Age verification will be carried out through a verification code obtained from the e-Government portal (e-Devlet). The code will not include a name or any personal data; it will only indicate whether the user has reached the age of 15 or 18. The platforms will be responsible for conducting the verification.

Social media applications on a smartphone screen

Teenagers aged 15 to 18 will receive a protected service by default. Their accounts cannot be made public, privacy settings will be set at the highest level, live streaming and targeted advertising will be prohibited, and they will receive messages only from accounts they follow.

Platforms will also provide parents with tools to set usage limits, impose spending caps and approve paid purchases.

The deadline for verifying existing accounts is March 31, 2027. Accounts that are not verified or are found to belong to children under 15 will be closed, and their data will be deleted. Platforms that violate the rules will face penalties under Law No. 5651.

The Center for Combating Disinformation under the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications had warned about fraudulent links sent in the name of age verification through the e-Government portal, urging users not to open links received in text messages or emails.

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