Türkiye is preparing sweeping new restrictions on social media use for children under 15, with the aim of protecting young users from digital addiction, harmful content, and long-term legal risks tied to online activity.
Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas said on Tuesday that the new measures, in development since 2024, are part of the country’s broader Family Protection and Strengthening Action Plan.
Speaking during Anadolu’s Editor’s Desk program in Ankara, Goktas said the government wants to build a safer digital environment without completely banning platforms.
“On the one hand, we aim to raise digital literacy awareness among families, but on the other, we will not leave our children at the mercy of algorithms, big companies, and digital and technology firms,” she said.
“We know very well that they generate significant profits through these platforms and over our children.”
Age verification, gaming rules, faster content removal
Under the planned regulation, social media platforms will be required to introduce age verification systems for users under 15 and appoint local representatives if they have more than 1 million users in Türkiye.
Platforms will also be required to remove inappropriate content within one hour, eliminate misleading advertisements and strengthen parental control tools.
For the first time, gaming platforms will also fall under the regulatory framework.
Companies with more than 100,000 users will be required to appoint representatives in Türkiye, with sanctions planned for those that fail to comply.
Goktas said a secondary regulation is expected within six months before nationwide implementation begins.
“Our aim is to supervise and provide a safer digital environment for children,” she said.
Digital footprint warning
The minister warned that children are entering social media as young as six years old and said their online activity can create serious consequences later in life.
“In the coming years, children under 15 may face various legal cases simply because of what they shared online,” she said.
“Content posted at age 14 can resurface at 17 or 18, leading to serious legal outcomes that could affect their lives.”
She also pointed to worrying behavioral patterns linked to gaming, saying children often choose darker, weapon-linked characters and may begin identifying with them in real life.
Goktas said Türkiye is shaping its model based on similar regulations introduced in the EU, Australia, France and Spain, while also working with international partners, including UNICEF.
She stressed that families must remain central to the effort.
“We want them to exist and be empowered in that space, but if dependency arises, we also want to prevent it,” she said.
“We are setting a norm.”
