Turkey Mandates Age Verification on Social Media Platforms Starting October 31

Age verification regulations for social media platforms have come into effect in Turkey as of October 31, 2026, requiring both domestic and foreign networks operating within the country to block service provision to anyone under 15 years old.

The regulations were issued by the Presidency of Cybersecurity under the Office of the Presidency and published in the official gazette on October 10. Article Seven explicitly states that "age verification is conducted through the e-Devlet portal"; the Presidency of Cybersecurity issues a specific authentication code based on the user's request, which the user then submits to the platform. The platform only verifies the code's authenticity without accessing any additional personal data beyond confirming whether the user is at least 15 or 18 years old.

Platforms are required to complete verification of accounts opened before the regulations take effect by March 31, 2027. Accounts belonging to users confirmed to be under 15 will be closed after their owners are notified, with free appeal rights available and content or data preserved pending resolution.

Users aged 15 to 17 are subject to strict rules: their accounts are set to maximum privacy, they can only receive messages from accounts they follow, and live streaming is prohibited. Their data cannot be used for targeted advertising purposes or user profile building. Parents are provided with monitoring tools that allow them to set usage times and spending limits.