31.10.2026 12:14
The regulation on children's social media use enters into force tomorrow. Children under 15 will not be able to open social media accounts, while users aged 15-17 will be able to use the platforms with limited features after age verification. Age verification will be carried out through e-Devlet. The verification period for existing accounts will end on March 31, 2027.
The regulation introducing new obligations for social media platforms regarding age verification and the protection of children in the online environment will start being implemented as of November 1, 2026. Platforms that do not comply with the rule may face sanctions by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK).
LAW AND REGULATION ENTER INTO FORCE ON THE SAME DAY
The age limit of 15 was introduced by an amendment to the Internet Law through Law No. 7578. The amendment published in the Official Gazette dated May 1, 2026 was arranged to enter into force 6 months after its publication.
The Regulation on the Provision of Child-Specific Segmented Services by Social Network Providers and Age Verification, which sets out the details of the implementation, was also published in the Official Gazette dated October 10, 2026. The regulation prepared by the Cybersecurity Presidency also enters into force tomorrow.
NO SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT FOR UNDER-15S
According to the regulation, social media platforms will not allow users who have not reached the age of 15 to open new 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 will apply from November 1 only to newly opened accounts. A transition process will apply to existing accounts.
LIMITED USE FOR THE 15-17 AGE GROUP
Users who have reached the age of 15 but are under 18 will be able to continue using social media, but various restrictions will be placed on their accounts under the scope of “segmented service.” Accounts of users in this age group will be private by default. Live broadcasts cannot be started from child accounts, and these users cannot be shown personalized ads.
The infinite scrolling feature, which is considered to increase screen addiction, will also not be available on child accounts. Only accounts that children follow will be able to send them messages, and other users will not be able to see the follower and following lists of child accounts.
AGE VERIFICATION WILL BE DONE VIA E-GOVERNMENT
Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş previously stated that the system would operate through the e-Government infrastructure. Accordingly, a user who wants to open a new account will, after logging in to e-Government, create a digital age verification token through the service of the Cybersecurity Presidency. The token will be transmitted to the social media platform, and the platform will verify which age group the user is in.
The digital token will not share information such as the person’s name and identity number with the platform. The token will only show whether the user has reached the age of 15 and, if so, whether they have reached the age of 18. Users who do not live in Turkey and are temporarily in the country will be exempt from age verification checks.
SUSPICIOUS ACCOUNTS WILL BE SUSPENDED
Age verification will not be performed only at account opening. Social media companies will continue to assess users’ ages using their own technological methods. If an account is suspected of being used by a child under 15, the account will be temporarily suspended. The user will be asked to perform age verification again via e-Government.
DEADLINE FOR EXISTING ACCOUNTS IS MARCH 31, 2027
The compliance process for existing social media accounts will continue until March 31, 2027. Users will need to complete their age verification procedures by this date. Accounts of users determined to be under 15 will be closed.
BANDWIDTH THROTTLING FOR NON-COMPLIANT PLATFORMS
BTK may impose sanctions on platforms that do not fulfill their obligations, continue to provide services to children under 15, or fail to establish the age verification system. These sanctions include gradually imposed bandwidth throttling, an advertising ban, and administrative fines.
“DO NOT GIVE YOUR E-GOVERNMENT PASSWORD TO YOUR CHILD”
Experts warn that, for the regulation to be effective, families must not share their e-Government passwords with their children. The Center for Combating Disinformation also drew attention to the regulation being used by scammers and warned citizens against messages sent under the guise of verification.