Turkiye to ban social media access for children under 15 from November 1

Social media platforms in Turkiye will be prohibited from providing services to children under the age of 15 starting November 1, under new restrictions published in the country’s Official Gazette.

The relevant regulatory act has been published in the Resmi Gazete.

Under the new rules, social media platforms must also establish a separate system for users aged 15 to 18, incorporating enhanced safety and privacy protections.

Users’ ages will be verified through a special identification mechanism via Turkiye’s e-Devlet digital government platform. Accounts belonging to teenagers aged 15 to 18 will be set to private by default.

The regulations will also prohibit livestreaming, personalised advertising and certain content recommendation mechanisms for this age group. In addition, platforms will be barred from recommending teenagers’ profiles to other users.

The measures aim to strengthen online safety and privacy protections for young users in Turkiye.