Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services of Türkiye Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş announced that Türkiye is developing a unique national model to regulate children's social media use, emphasizing that the goal is to help children "benefit from the digital world while protecting their identity, values, and privacy."
Speaking at the 5th Traditional Parent Meetings Conscious Family Forum organized by the Istanbul Education Support Platform (İEDP) at Bahçelievler Mümtaz Turhan Social Sciences High School, Minister Göktaş said that conscious parenting has become a vital responsibility in today's world. She highlighted that while access to information has become easier in the digital era, access to emotions has grown more difficult.
"Children today face risks in virtual spaces shaped by screens, algorithms, and invisible influences," she said. "Cyberbullying, digital addiction, gaming and social media traps deeply affect their self-perception, values, and relationships. Curiosity can quickly lead to harmful content or even exploitation, while gender-neutral narratives and identity-blurring messages erode moral foundations."
Göktaş stressed the importance of protecting children not only from the physical world's dangers but also from the hidden risks of the digital world. She underlined that the Ministry is actively raising digital literacy awareness through educational programs, expanding family counseling services, and organizing digital detox camps to promote family bonding and healthy social interaction.
Through workshops on combating digital addiction, the Ministry also develops policy-oriented solutions and aims to establish a Digital Children's Rights Convention that promotes an ethical and value-based online environment prioritizing children's well-being.
Recalling President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remarks that Türkiye "cannot stand by while our youth and children are lost in the dark corridors of social media," Göktaş said the government is working intensively to create a Türkiye-specific model for children's social media use. "We aim to ensure that children can exist as safe, responsible individuals in the digital world while preserving their values and privacy," she added.
She concluded by emphasizing that digital safety is not only a technological issue but also a matter of moral education, calling on families, educators, and all sectors of society to act together in strengthening both families and social values.
