Turkey is preparing to tighten controls on minors’ use of social media, with a parliamentary report released this week proposing sweeping measures such as age verification, content filtering and stricter monitoring of online platforms. The move places Turkey among a growing number of countries seeking to limit children’s exposure to social media.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is expected to present draft legislation in the coming weeks. Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas said after a cabinet meeting last month that the proposed bill would include a ban on social media use by minors and require platforms to install content-filtering systems.
The parliamentary commission’s recommendations go beyond social media, calling for the removal of harmful content without prior notice and closer oversight of children’s video games and toys equipped with artificial intelligence to screen for inappropriate material.
Globally, momentum is building for tougher rules. Australia in December became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, restricting access to platforms such as TikTok, Alphabet-owned YouTube and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram. Spain is seeking a similar ban, while Greece and Slovenia are exploring comparable measures. France, Britain and Germany are also considering tighter regulations for minors.
Night-time restrictions proposed
The Turkish report also suggests imposing night-time internet limits on devices used by those under 18, mandatory content filtering on social media until the age of 18, and a complete ban on social media use until age 16.
“We need to protect our children from moral erosion. Our goal is to shield them from all kinds of addiction, including digital addiction,” said Harun Mertoglu, a senior AK Party lawmaker and member of parliament’s human rights inquiry committee, in comments to Reuters.
Some parents have welcomed the proposals. Belma Kececioglu, a shopkeeper, said her 10-year-old son spends hours on social media and gaming platforms. “It’s as if all children are addicted to social media. We are already struggling with this, and harmful content only makes it worse,” she said, as her son played a game on his phone after school.
However, social media companies argue that outright bans could be ineffective, warning that weak age-verification systems may allow children to bypass restrictions or drive them towards unregulated platforms.
Turkey already enforces strict regulations on social media firms and frequently orders content removals and access bans. According to the censorship watchdog IFOD, access to around 1.2 million web pages and social media posts had been blocked by the end of 2024.
Under existing rules, platforms must respond to official or user takedown requests within two days, leaving limited scope for due process. Companies that fail to comply face penalties including advertising bans, bandwidth throttling and fines of up to 3 per cent of their global revenues.
Several online platforms have already been blocked in Turkey since 2024, including gaming platform Roblox, messaging service Discord and story-sharing site Wattpad. The country had also previously banned Wikipedia for nearly three years.