Türkiye weighs under-15 ban in social media regulation for minors

ANKARA

Türkiye is moving closer to setting 15 as the minimum age for accessing social media under its long-debated regulation for minors, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş told lawmakers, outlining the government’s preferred model.

Speaking to parliament’s digital platforms committee, Göktaş said Ankara has been studying what she described as the most advanced child-safety frameworks in the U.K. and Australia.

Under the proposal, social-media companies would be obliged not to provide services or allow account creation for children under 15, she said.

Göktaş framed the push as a response to mounting evidence of online harm.

Citing the World Health Organization, she said social-media use increases depression risk among adolescents by 35 percent, while UNICEF data indicates nearly half of 14–17-year-olds feel inadequate because of what they see online. Another UNICEF finding shows one in three children faces cyberbullying.

She added that ministry teams have identified thousands of harmful posts, including bullying, violence, sexual exploitation and drug-related material appearing without filters on some platforms.

The minister said Türkiye wants platforms to maintain round-the-clock, rapid complaint channels for data breaches and harmful content with the new regulation.

She added that they demanded access restrictions on platforms that do not have a representative in Türkiye to receive complaints regarding content.

Account creation without parental consent is barred for users under 16 in Australia, 15 in France, 14 in Italy and 13 in Denmark and Belgium.