Under new regulations, Türkiye bans children under 15 from social media

Türkiye has barred social network providers from offering services to minors under the age of 15, according to new Cyber Security Directorate regulations published Saturday in the Official Gazette.

The regulation said providers "cannot provide services to children who have not reached the age of 15."

Providers must also offer differentiated services and take necessary measures for users 15 and older, according to the regulations, adding that they should consider the minor's best interests and their physical, mental, psychological, social, and emotional development.

Age verification must prioritize personal data protection, using methods that determine only whether a user meets the age threshold rather than establishing identity, it added.

Saying that providers must make the reliability of verification methods, their algorithm structures, and child-focused service policies "clear, auditable and testable for users, parents and the directorate," it stressed that they must create clear, user-friendly parental control tools.

The regulations come under new legislation on social media passed by the Turkish parliament this April.