Cyber Security Authority regulation enforces age 15 limit on social media, published in Official Gazette

The Regulation on Provision of Child-Specific Segregated Services by Social Network Providers and Age Verification, prepared by the Cyber Security Authority, was published in the Official Gazette on October 10 and entered into force.

According to the regulation, all domestic and foreign social media platforms accessible from Turkey will not be able to open accounts for users who have not reached the age of 15. Age verification will be conducted during account creation through a token generated via the e-Government Portal; the token will contain only information on whether the user has exceeded the 15 and 18 age thresholds.

For currently active accounts, platforms are required to complete scanning by March 31, 2027. Accounts identified as belonging to users under 15 will be closed during the verification process.

Additional restrictions come into effect for users aged 15-18: These accounts will be opened with privacy settings enabled by default, live streaming and personalized advertising will be prohibited, and infinite scroll functionality will not be permitted. Children will only be able to receive messages from accounts they follow; other users will not be able to view these accounts' follower and following lists. Parents are also given monitoring authority through the platforms.

With this move, Turkey joins the list of countries that have placed age restrictions on a legal footing, following Australia's 16-year-old age limit; however, the regulation's enforcement and sanctions mechanism has not yet been clarified.