15-year-old regulation for social media

With the "Regulation on the Provision of Segregated Services and Age Verification specific to Children by Social Network Providers" published in the Official Gazette, comprehensive rules and restrictions were introduced for the protection of children in social network providers.

New rules for the protection of children were introduced to social networks with the "Regulation on the Provision of Segregated Services for Children by Social Network Providers and Age Verification", which was published in the Official Gazette and will come into force on November 1, 2026.

In the regulation, in the 1st paragraph of the 5th article of the title "Age Verification, Segregated Services and Parental Control Tools", the provision "The social network provider cannot provide services to children under the age of fifteen" was included.

In this context, social network providers will not be able to provide services to children under the age of 15, and age determination will be made through e-Government without sharing identity information, only with the field showing the age range.

While existing accounts will be required to be verified by March 31, 2027, a "segregated service" model will be implemented for children aged 15-18, where accounts will be private by default, messaging will be restricted, live broadcasting and contact synchronization will be prohibited.

In addition, Turkish-supported parental control tools will be offered to parents, where families can control their children's screen time, expenses and account settings.