01.11.2026 08:40
The regulation banning children under the age of 15 in Turkey from opening social media accounts entered into force today. Users between the ages of 15 and 17 will be able to receive limited services by performing age verification via e-Devlet. While existing accounts have been given until March 31, 2027, platforms that do not comply with the rules may face fines, advertising bans, and bandwidth throttling sanctions.
The new regulation on social media use in Türkiye entered into force today (November 1, 2026). Children under 15 will no longer be able to open new accounts on social media platforms. Users aged 15-17 will be able to use social media with certain restrictions by completing age verification. While a compliance period until March 31, 2027 has been granted for existing accounts, sanctions such as fines, advertising bans, and bandwidth throttling may be imposed on platforms that do not comply with the rules.
LAW AND REGULATION ENTERED INTO FORCE TODAY
The regulation introducing new obligations for social media platforms regarding age verification and the protection of children in the online environment began to be implemented as of November 1, 2026.
The age limit of 15 was introduced by an amendment to the Internet Law made by Law No. 7578. The amendment, published in the Official Gazette dated May 1, 2026, was envisaged to enter into force 6 months after its publication.
The 'Regulation on the Provision of Child-Specific Differentiated Services by Social Network Providers and on Age Verification', which sets out the details of the implementation, was published in the Official Gazette dated October 10, 2026. The regulation prepared by the Cybersecurity Presidency also entered into force today.
CHILDREN UNDER 15 WILL NOT BE ABLE TO OPEN ACCOUNTS
Under the new regulation, social media platforms will not allow users who have not reached the age of 15 to open accounts. If age verification determines that the user is under 15, the account opening request will be rejected.
According to the statement by the Center for Combating Disinformation, this rule, which began to be applied as of November 1, will initially cover only newly opened accounts.
For previously opened accounts, a transition process will be implemented in line with the set timetable.
RESTRICTIONS FOR USERS AGED 15-17
Users who have reached the age of 15 but are under 18 will be able to continue using social media platforms. However, various restrictions aimed at protecting children will be imposed on the accounts of users in this age group.
Under the new regulation, accounts of users aged 15-17 will be private by default. Live broadcasts cannot be started from these accounts, and personalized advertisements cannot be shown to users.
The infinite scrolling feature, which is considered to increase screen addiction, will also not be available on child accounts.
In addition, only accounts that children follow will be able to send them messages. Other users will not be able to view the followers and following lists of child accounts.
AGE VERIFICATION WILL BE DONE THROUGH E-DEVLET
Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş had previously stated that the age verification system would operate through the e-Devlet infrastructure.
Accordingly, users who want to open a new account on social media platforms will log in to the e-Devlet system and create a digital age verification token through the service of the Cybersecurity Presidency.
The generated token will be transmitted to the relevant social media platform. In this way, the platform will be able to verify which age group the user is in.
PERSONAL INFORMATION WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH PLATFORMS
The digital token created for age verification will not share the user's personal information, such as name or identity number, with social media platforms.
The token will only indicate whether the user has reached the age of 15 and, if the user has reached 15, whether they have reached 18.
Users who do not reside in Türkiye or who are temporarily in the country will be exempt from age verification checks.
SUSPICIOUS ACCOUNTS WILL BE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED
In the new system, age verification will not be performed only during account opening. Social media companies will continue to assess users' ages using their own technological methods.
If there is suspicion that an account is being used by a child under 15, the account in question will be temporarily suspended.
The user will be asked to perform age verification again via e-Devlet. In this way, age control will be ensured during account opening and the usage process.
DEADLINE FOR EXISTING ACCOUNTS IS MARCH 31, 2027
With the regulation entering into force, the compliance process has also begun for existing social media accounts.
A period until March 31, 2027 has been granted to bring previously opened accounts into compliance with the new rules.
Users will need to complete age verification procedures by this date. As a result of the checks to be carried out, accounts determined to belong to children under 15 will be closed.
Thus, while a ban will apply as of today to children under 15 opening new accounts, the transition process will continue for existing accounts.
HEAVY SANCTIONS FOR PLATFORMS THAT DO NOT COMPLY WITH THE RULES
The new regulation has also imposed important responsibilities on social media companies.
Platforms that continue to provide services to children under 15, do not establish an age verification system, or do not implement restrictions for child accounts may face sanctions from the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).
Administrative fines and advertising bans may be imposed on platforms that do not comply with the rules. If obligations are not fulfilled, a graduated bandwidth throttling sanction may also be activated.
E-DEVLET PASSWORD WARNING FOR FAMILIES
Following the new regulation, important warnings were also issued to families.
Experts emphasized that, for the age verification system to be effective, parents should not share their e-Devlet passwords with their children.
The Center for Combating Disinformation, meanwhile, drew attention to the fact that the new regulation could be used in fraud attempts.
Citizens were asked to be careful against fake messages and redirects sent under the pretext of age verification.
Authorities recommended using only official e-Devlet channels for age verification procedures and not sharing passwords and personal information with third parties.