Statement from Minister Göktaş regarding social media regulation for children

The Regulation on the Provision of Segregated Services for Children by Social Network Providers and Age Verification was published in the Official Gazette.

In his statement on his social media account, Göktaş stated that a new phase has been reached in the social media regulation for people under the age of 15, which was enacted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly in May.

He noted the following regarding the regulation, which includes important regulations to ensure the safety of children on digital platforms and will come into force on November 1:

"With the regulation, social network providers will not be able to provide services to children under the age of 15. Age verification will be mandatory on social media platforms via e-Government, without sharing identity information. The accounts of children in the 15-18 age group will be private, follower and follower information will not be visible. Live broadcasts will not be possible in these accounts, and technical measures will be applied to prevent screenshots. In these accounts, there will be restrictions on designs that pave the way for behavioral addiction and prolong the time spent on the platform. Accounts will not be customized according to the behavior of children, their personal data will not be able to be displayed. "It cannot be subject to profiling and personalized commercial advertising activities."

Stating that the platforms will be obliged to filter against harmful content and apply protective recommendation system settings, Göktaş said, "The obligations of the platforms will be supported by sanctions. Parents will be able to control account settings, paid transactions, screen time and location sharing. Existing accounts will also undergo age verification. Age verification will be made at least once on existing accounts until March 31, 2027. Good luck for our families and children." made the statement.