Turkey Bans Social Media for Children Under 15

Turkey is moving from political statements to strict regulation. On October 10, 2026, detailed rules were published for the law prohibiting social networks from serving children under 15.

The new requirements will take effect on November 1, 2026. Meanwhile, owners of existing accounts have been given a grace period for age verification until March 31, 2027.

How age verification will work

The most important technical nuance of the law is the shift from platform self-verification to a state-run system. The mechanism is tied to the Turkish government e-portal e-Devlet.

The procedure works as follows:

• The user requests a special digital age verification token via e-Devlet.
• The state system verifies the data and generates the token.
• The user uploads this token to the social network.
• The platform reads only the age category: under 15, 15 to 17, or 18 and older.

According to the regulations, the token must not contain the user's name, social media login, or any other personal data that could identify the individual. Platforms are forbidden from using this data for other purposes. Foreigners temporarily staying in Turkey will have a separate verification mechanism based on passport data.

Strict restrictions for teenagers (15-17 years old)

Turkey is not blocking the internet for all minors, but it is introducing a special high-privacy mode for teenagers aged 15 to 17. Social networks will be obligated to implement the following restrictions:

• Closed profiles by default. The option to make the account public is not provided.
• Restricted direct messages. Teens can only receive messages from accounts they follow. Read receipts are disabled.
• Hidden social graphs. Follower and following lists are hidden. The platform is prohibited from recommending the teen's account to other users.
• Total ban on live streams. The streaming function is blocked for this age group.
• Ban on "infinite scroll". Interfaces that automatically and continuously load visual content while scrolling must be disabled.
• No personalized ads. Profiling teens for commercial advertising or tailoring content to their behavior is prohibited.
• Screenshot protection. Platforms must implement technical measures to prevent the saving of screenshots of profile photos and teen posts.
• No contact synchronization. Social networks will not be able to scan a teen's phone book to find friends or make recommendations.

Tools for parents

Social networks must provide clear parental control tools that a child cannot disable independently without an adult's knowledge. Parents or guardians will have the ability to:

• manage account settings;
• set time limits for service usage;
• block or allow any purchases and paid subscriptions;
• manage geolocation sharing settings.

At the same time, the law stipulates that enabling parental control must not disproportionately violate the child's privacy, and the teenager must be notified that their account is under supervision.

What happens to existing accounts

This is the most painful practical issue. By March 31, 2027, all existing users must complete verification via e-Devlet.

• If it is confirmed that the user is under 15, the account will be closed, and the data deleted after any appeal procedures are completed.
• If the user is between 15 and 17, the account will automatically be switched to the special protected mode with all the aforementioned restrictions.

The law guarantees a free appeal mechanism. A blocking decision cannot be made solely by an algorithm - a substantive human review is required.

Political context and criticism

The official stance of the authorities is to protect children from cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, screen addiction, and harmful content. However, international observers link the accelerated passage of Law No. 7578 to the school shooting in Kahramanmaraş, where a 14-year-old opened fire, after which President Erdoğan sharply criticized the influence of social media on children.

The initiative has sparked serious debate. Human rights organizations (including STGM and Human Rights Watch) point to the risks of digital identification. Although the token is supposed to be anonymized, the very fact of tying social media login requests to the state e-Devlet system creates potential infrastructure for tracking citizens' online activity. The opposition and digital rights experts fear this could harm the anonymity of journalists, activists, and regular users, expanding state control over the internet.

Bottom line: Turkey has not just announced a ban; it has created a working legal mechanism. From November 1, 2026, social networks that ignore these rules will face violation notices, and eventually, severe sanctions, including bandwidth throttling.