Turkish lawmakers approved a bill Thursday restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15, according to state media.
The bill, adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly, amends the Social Services Law and several other laws. It provides that social network providers may not offer services to children under the age of 15 and must take necessary measures, including age verification, to prevent such access. The law also requires social media platforms to create separate age-appropriate services for children over 15 and to publish the measures they take on their websites.
The legislation further requires social network providers to offer parental-control tools allowing parents to control account settings, approve paid transactions such as purchases or subscriptions, and monitor or limit usage time. Platforms with more than 10 million daily users from Türkiye will also be required to comply within one hour with certain content removal or access-blocking orders in urgent cases.
The bill now awaits approval from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who must accept it within 15 days for it to become law. Erdoğan recently called for stronger protections for children online following a school shooting in Kahramanmaraş, where police are investigating the online activity of the 14-year-old perpetrator.
The main opposition, the Republican People’s Party, criticized the bill, arguing that children should be protected through rights-based policies rather than bans. Opposition lawmakers also raised concerns that blanket restrictions may be ineffective if children can still access platforms through adults’ accounts, virtual private networks, or other means.
The measure follows earlier government efforts to regulate online platforms in Türkiye. The government has previously restricted access to major platforms during periods of political unrest, including during protests in support of jailed Istanbul opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Digital rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns that broad online restrictions can be used to suppress dissent and limit access to information.
The legislation comes amid a broader global debate over children’s access to social media. Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions took effect in December 2025, a policy previously criticized by Amnesty International as an “ineffective quick fix.” Australian regulators later reported non-compliance by several platforms. Indonesia’s under-16 social media restrictions also came into effect in March.
Children’s digital rights are protected under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires states to treat the best interests of the child as a primary consideration. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has also recognized in General Comment No. 25 that children’s rights apply in the digital environment, including rights relating to privacy, expression, access to information, and protection from harm.
