Turkey bans social media for under-15s; age checks via e-Devlet

A regulation prohibiting social media platforms from providing services to children under 15 took effect on 1 November. Drafted by the Presidency's Cybersecurity Directorate, it sets out the procedures and principles for age verification, services separated out for children, and parental control tools.

Under the regulation, social network providers may no longer serve children who have not turned 15. One of its most notable features is that the age verification document is to be created and used through the e-Devlet Kapısı portal. The document will carry information about the user's age and no other personal data.

Separate services required for 15-year-olds and over

The ban covers children under 15. For those who have turned 15, platforms will have to offer age-appropriate, separated services. In other words, social media is not being closed off entirely to this age group, but a distinct service design becomes mandatory instead of the same experience given to adult users.

These services will have to be built around the best interests of the child and take into account physical, mental, psychological, social and emotional developmental needs. The yardstick is therefore not just an age limit but whether the service as a whole considers the child's development. The regulation also lays down the procedures and principles for parental control tools.

Age verification document to come from e-Devlet

The regulation makes the protection of personal data a core principle of age verification. To that end, the age verification document is to be created and used through e-Devlet Kapısı, the online platform through which citizens access public services from a single point after identity verification.

The document will show the user's age, or whether they have turned 15. It will contain no other personal data and will not make the user identifiable. Social network providers may use the document solely for the purpose of age verification.

Deadline for existing accounts

The regulation also sets a timetable for accounts that are already open. Age verification for existing accounts is expected to be completed by 31 March 2027 at the latest, meaning the rules cover not only newly created accounts but the existing user base as well.

The text outlines the general framework of the regulation. How platforms will put age verification into practice, and the details of the separated services, will become clearer in the coming period, as will the regulation's other provisions on parental control tools and how the verification process works.