Turkey will ban social media platforms from providing services to children under 15 starting November 1, 2026. The corresponding regulation was published on October 10 in the official gazette Resmî Gazete, according to the Turkish outlet LOG. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Separate safety and privacy rules are being introduced for teenagers aged 15-17.
Age verification when creating accounts
When creating accounts, platforms will be required to verify users' ages. For this, confirmation through the state portal e-Devlet is provided. It will contain information about the age category without disclosing the name, exact age, and other data that could identify the person. Registration requests from users under 15 will be rejected.
Rules for teenagers aged 15-17
Accounts of teenagers aged 15-17 will be private, with no possibility of making them publicly accessible. Messages can only be sent to them by users they themselves follow. For this age group, live broadcasts, contact synchronization, and the use of personal data for personalized advertising will be prohibited. Children's profiles will not be recommended to other users, and teenagers will not be offered other accounts to follow.
Parental control tools
Social networks will also be obliged to provide parents and guardians with tools to manage profile settings and limit usage time. Paid transactions can be placed under parental control and spending limits can be set.
Deadline for verifying existing accounts
The age of owners of already existing accounts on platforms must be verified no later than March 31, 2027. If a user is not yet 15 years old, their profile will be closed with prior notification.
Similar initiative in Kazakhstan
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Kazakhstan proposed restricting registration in social networks for users under 16 — the corresponding amendments were submitted by the government for consideration to the Kurultai. After their adoption, the authorities will also consider the possibility of temporarily suspending already existing children's accounts, and using artificial intelligence for age verification.