Turkey has become the latest nation to introduce a social-media ban for younger teens after lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would effectively restrict users under 15 years of age from accessing
YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X and other digital media platforms.
In addition to banning social-media access for users under 15, the bill requires specified digital platforms to carry out
necessary age-verification measures and appoint a representative in the nation, while gaming platforms must also classify their game offerings based on users' age criteria.
With the bill, all
users must now verify their identities through the country’s e-Devlet portal to enter specified digital platforms. The portal will then create a unique key to confirm the identity of each
individual user and is designed to bar social media companies from receiving sensitive personal data.
Over the next nine months, Turkey will prepare regulations and technical systems, require
companies to build their connection systems, and finally, integrate users.
advertisement
advertisement
According to Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, who announced the details of Turkey’s new bill, “the anonymous
environment of the internet prepares the ground for crimes like disinformation, fraud, and cyberbullying.”
The bill in Turkey follows similar guidelines both planned and set forth over
the course of this past year by other nations, including Greece, Indonesia, Austria,
the U.K, Denmark, Slovenia, Germany, Spain, France, Australia and various states in the U.S., impacting the business and reach of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X and Reddit.
The passage of the bill in
Turkey comes a week after a 14-year-old opened fire at a middle school in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, killing nine students and a teacher.
To enforce the bill, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan must sign it into law within 15 days.
After the recent shooting in Kahramanmaras, Erdogan spoke publicly about the need to better protect children's safety and privacy
online.