Türkiye restricts schools from sharing students’ photos online

ISTANBUL

The Turkish Education Ministry has instructed schools not to share students’ photographs or personal information on social media and to remove any previously published content containing such data, in a move widely seen as targeting teachers who have built large followings as social media influencers.

The directive, issued as a 10-point set of measures under Türkiye’s personal data protection regulations, was sent to schools across the country on July 9.

Under the new rules, schools will no longer be allowed to publicly share content containing personal data on their websites, social media accounts or other online platforms.

The ban covers a wide range of information, including class lists, student identification numbers, Turkish identity numbers, examination records, attendance and academic performance data, as well as photographs, videos and similar visual content featuring students or school personnel.

Schools have also been instructed to review all previously published online material.

Any publicly accessible documents, announcements, photographs, videos or other files containing personal data must be removed from public access by school administrators.

In cases where photographs or videos need to be taken and shared as part of educational activities, schools must determine in advance the purpose of the recording, the platform on which it will be shared, how long it will be retained and who will be granted access.

The move follows years of controversy surrounding teachers who filmed classroom activities and uploaded videos featuring students to social media, often attracting millions of views.

The trend has sparked criticism from educators and child rights advocates, who argue that children should not be used as content for online audiences and that such practices violate students’ privacy.