Turkish lawmakers have just passed a bill that would ban children under 15 from using social media. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram will be required to install an age-verification system to restrict access to children.
The bill still needs to be signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has 15 days to accept it. Erdogan has been vocal on the subject, recently calling social media platforms "cesspools.”
The bill passed in the wake of a school shooting in the southern city of Kahramanmaras, where a 14-year-old killed nine students and a teacher. The tragic event triggered a wave of content sharing online, which led to 162 arrests, as people were accused of sharing footage of the tragedy online.
Online gaming companies would also have to appoint a local representative in Turkey and implement their own restrictions on minors. Companies that fail to comply with the new law will face fines and potential traffic blockades.
Turkey has a long history of restricting access to online platforms, particularly when the government finds its content inconvenient. Instagram was blocked in 2024 over a dispute involving Hamas-related content. Discord was banned in 2024 due to illegal content sharing. Roblox was banned over child exploitation reports, with a Turkish official also citing the "promotion of homosexuality" as a reason at the time.
The current bill doesn’t exactly fit the pattern, as the stated motivation this time is child safety rather than political dissent.
Turkey isn't alone in moving in this direction. Australia was the first country to ban children under 16 from social media last year, and Indonesia, Greece, Austria, and several other countries have since followed.
The current state of social media platforms is a mess, to say the least. The emergence of AI-generated content and deepfakes has made it dangerous for developing minds to be on the platforms. Imposing safety measures is becoming a necessity if we want to preserve the well-being of our children.
Source: AP
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