Social media ban begins for those under 15 years of age

In Türkiye, the social media ban for people under the age of 15 came into force as of November 1. The Regulation was prepared by the Presidency's Cyber ​​Security Directorate. In addition, the regulation determines the procedures and principles for age verification, child-specific services and parental control tools.

What Does the Social Media Ban for Under-15s Change?

According to the regulation, social network providers will no longer be able to provide services to children under the age of 15. However, children over the age of 15 will not remain completely away from the platforms. Age-appropriate, differentiated services will need to be provided for this group.

These services will be based on the best interests of children. Therefore, physical, mental, psychological, social and emotional development needs will be taken into consideration. In other words, platforms will have to create a separate service structure for young users. Thus, the social media ban for people under the age of 15 will not only be a closure decision, but will also affect the service structure.

Age Verification Will Be Done Through e-Government

Protection of personal data was determined as the basic principle in age verification processes. For this reason, the age verification document will be created and used through the e-Government Gateway. The document will indicate the user's age or whether he or she is over 15 years old.

The document will not contain any other personal data other than age information. Moreover, it will not make the user's identity identifiable. Social network providers will only be able to use this document for age verification purposes. On the other hand, this structure aims to implement the social media ban for those under 15 along with data privacy.

The document will be created via the e-Government Gateway.

It will show the age or whether the person is over 15 years old.

It will not contain any other personal data.

It can only be used for age verification.

Deadline for Existing Accounts

The regulation does not only cover new accounts. Age verification for existing accounts must be completed by March 31, 2027 at the latest. That's why platforms are expected to take their users through the verification process in the coming months.

Existing accounts of users determined to be under 15 will be closed. Since the deadline is March 31, 2027, age verification procedures will be completed by this date. Therefore, the social media ban for those under the age of 15 will be implemented in full force for existing accounts until March 31, 2027.