Türkiye introduces two-tier social media rules for under-18s
Türkiye’s new social media regulation, effective from 1 November 2026, draws a clear distinction between children under 15, who will be barred from using social networks, and teenagers aged 15–17, who will retain access under stricter safeguards. Platforms face new obligations to verify ages, remove accounts held by younger children and redesign aspects of their services for teenage users.
Social media platforms in Türkiye will have to treat younger children and older teenagers differently under a new regulation that takes effect on 1 November 2026. Published in the Official Gazette on 10 October, the rules combine an age-based restriction with additional protections for teenagers who remain eligible to use social networks.
For children under 15, the requirement is straightforward: platforms must not provide access, and accounts identified as belonging to this age group must be closed. Providers will also have to introduce age checks when new accounts are created. Existing users have until 31 March 2027 to complete verification.
The approach for teenagers aged 15–17 is different. Rather than excluding them from social networks, the regulation requires platforms to provide a separate service with stronger protections. These include tighter privacy settings, restrictions on personalised advertising and contact features, and parental controls.
The rules also extend to how platforms are designed. Reported measures include limits on features such as infinite scrolling, which lets users move continuously through content. This brings aspects of the user experience, alongside account access and data use, within the scope of the new requirements.
Age verification presents a practical challenge for implementation. Platforms must establish whether users meet the relevant age threshold while avoiding unnecessary disclosure of their identities. The regulation specifies that verification should confirm age without sharing a user’s full identity with the service.
The new rules build on legislation adopted earlier in 2026 that established stronger child-protection duties for social media providers. The October regulation sets out how those obligations are to operate in practice, with different requirements depending on users’ ages.
The November start date begins the transition to the new framework, but existing accounts have a longer compliance period. Platforms will need to put age-checking systems in place, identify accounts belonging to children under 15 and provide the required protections for older teenagers before the March 2027 verification deadline.
