Turkey Moves to Ban Social Media for Children Under 15: New Bill Passes Parliament

The Turkish parliament has approved a landmark bill that would prohibit all children under the age of 15 from using social media platforms. The legislation mandates that social media companies implement strict age-verification systems, provide robust parental control tools, and accelerate their response times to harmful or inappropriate content.

According to The Associated Press, lawmakers passed the bill in response to two fatal school shootings in Turkey. Following these incidents, authorities arrested 162 individuals accused of sharing graphic footage of the tragedies online.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now has 15 days to sign the bill into law. In a televised address to the nation, Erdogan described social media platforms as "cesspools," highlighting concerns over their role in spreading harmful content.

Additional Restrictions for Online Gaming and Social Media

Beyond social media platforms, the bill extends its reach to online gaming companies. These firms would be required to implement their own restrictions on minors. Non-compliance could result in penalties such as bandwidth reductions or financial fines.

Turkey’s History of Social Media and Gaming Restrictions

This is not the first time Turkey has clashed with social media and gaming platforms. In 2024, Instagram was blocked in the country due to a dispute over the posting of Hamas-related content. Access was restored within a week. During the same period, Turkey also banned Roblox, citing reports of inappropriate sexual content that was allegedly exploitative to children. A Turkish official at the time also cited the "promotion of homosexuality" as a reason for the ban.

Turkey has also temporarily blocked Twitter (now X) on multiple occasions, most recently following the devastating earthquakes in 2023. The exact reasons for these blocks were not disclosed at the time.

Global Trend: Countries Crack Down on Social Media for Minors

Turkey’s move aligns with a growing global trend of countries imposing stricter regulations on social media use by children. Greece and Austria have recently introduced similar legislation. In 2023, Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from social media, and the UK is also considering tighter restrictions.