Turkey to ban social media for children under 15 starting November 1, 2026
Starting November 1, 2026, children under 15 in Turkey will lose access to social media, while teenagers aged 15–18 will only be allowed a protected mode. Adults must verify their age via e-Devlet by March 31, 2027.
Turkey will introduce a complete ban on social media use by children under 15 starting November 1, 2026. The corresponding regulatory act was published by the Cybersecurity Directorate under the administration of the country's president.
This is Turkey's first nationwide age restriction of such scale regarding social media. The document affects not only underage users, but also the platforms themselves, as well as adult citizens of the country.
What will change for teenagers?
The restrictions are divided into two age groups:
- Under 15 — a complete ban on using social media.
- 15 to 18 — access to social media is retained, but only through a special mode with additional safety measures and personal data protection. The platforms themselves are obliged to develop and implement this mode.
What functions will social media be banned from using?
The regulatory act restricts platforms' handling of minors' data. Social media platforms are prohibited from:
- recommending other accounts to teenagers based on information collected about them;
- suggesting teenagers' profiles to other users;
- syncing children's accounts with contact lists, email and phone address books.
Access to contact data and its use by social media platforms also fall under the ban.
What will be required of adult users?
Adult citizens of Turkey will have to go through an age verification procedure. According to the document, this must be done by March 31, 2027.
Verification requires a special identifier through the state e-services platform e-Devlet. Thus, age verification will be controlled by the state, not the platforms themselves.
What is the context of this measure?
Turkey is joining the group of states introducing age restrictions on social media for children. Australia previously passed a law banning social media for those under 16, while France and the United Kingdom discussed their own versions of restrictions.
The Russian audience also shows readiness for such measures: surveys showed that around 60% of Russians are ready to support introducing restrictions in the country on children's use of social media, similar to other states.
What does this mean for platforms?
For social media platforms operating in Turkey, the entry into force of the rules will require technical rework of their products. By November 1, 2026, platforms must create a protected mode for users aged 15–18 and restructure their recommendation algorithms so that they do not use minors' data.
Companies that fail to comply with the requirements risk facing sanctions from Turkish regulators — specific enforcement measures will be determined by law enforcement practice after the act comes into force.
Original: resmigazete.gov.tr
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