ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s legislature began deliberating Tuesday on proposed legislation that would ban minors under 15 from using social media platforms, joining a growing number of nations implementing measures to shield young people from online dangers.
The proposed legislation would mandate that social media companies implement age-verification technology, create parental oversight features, and quickly address content flagged as dangerous. The duration of parliamentary discussions on the measure remains uncertain.
Officials in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s administration describe the legislation as an effort to reduce digital threats to children’s well-being and personal information security.
“Protecting our children from all kinds of risks, threats and harmful content is our top priority,” Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, Turkey’s minister for family and social services, said earlier this year.
Opposition lawmakers from the Republican People’s Party or CHP have voiced objections to the plan, arguing that youth protection should come “not with bans but with rights-based policies.”
The proposed regulations would require digital services including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and similar platforms to prevent minors under 15 from creating accounts while establishing parental oversight features to monitor children’s online activity.
Gaming companies operating online would also need to designate Turkish representatives to guarantee compliance with the new rules. Violations could result in reduced internet speeds and monetary sanctions from Turkey’s telecommunications regulatory agency.
Turkey’s leadership has previously limited online platform access as these services have become channels for political opposition. Internet communications faced widespread limitations during protests last year supporting Istanbul’s imprisoned opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
Australia pioneered social media age restrictions for those under 16 beginning in December, leading platforms to close approximately 4.7 million accounts belonging to minors.
Indonesia launched similar regulations last month, prohibiting digital platform access for children under 16 to prevent exposure to adult content, online harassment, digital fraud and compulsive usage.
Additional nations including Spain, France and the United Kingdom are implementing or evaluating comparable restrictions on youth social media access due to mounting concerns about harm from unmoderated online content.
