The rules, issued by the Presidency’s Cyber Security Directorate and published in the Official Gazette, require platforms to verify users’ ages, refuse registrations by children below the threshold and close accounts identified as belonging to them. They also impose extensive safeguards on accounts held by teenagers aged 15 to 17.

Social network operators must introduce technical and administrative measures to enforce the prohibition. Existing users will undergo age verification, with platforms given until 31 March 2027 to complete checks on established accounts. The requirements apply to domestic and overseas providers offering services in Turkey.

Verification will involve the government’s e-Devlet digital services system, which can generate a token confirming whether a user meets the relevant age thresholds. The token is designed to establish eligibility without disclosing names or other identifying details to social media companies.

The regulations require age checks to protect personal information and avoid discriminatory practices. Providers must make their verification systems, algorithms and policies for younger users sufficiently transparent for users, parents and the Cyber Security Directorate to examine and test.

Accounts belonging to teenagers aged 15 to 17 must be private, without an option to switch to public visibility. Platforms must prevent these users from livestreaming and receiving personalised advertisements, while disabling infinite-scrolling feeds intended to encourage prolonged engagement.

Messaging will also be restricted. Teenagers will be permitted to receive messages only from accounts they follow, and their follower and following lists must remain hidden from other users. The measures are intended to limit unwanted contact and reduce exposure to potentially harmful material.

Social media providers must supply parental controls that allow families to manage account settings, supervise screen time and approve purchases or other paid transactions. These tools must be clearly presented and straightforward to use, rather than buried within complicated settings.

The rules require platforms serving older minors to consider children’s physical, mental, psychological, social and emotional development. Services considered likely to create addictive behaviour among children are prohibited under the new framework.

Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said the regulation marked a further stage in implementing legislation adopted by parliament earlier this year. She said companies would be required to verify ages and provide stronger privacy and content protections for teenagers who remain eligible to use social networks.

The publication gives technology companies a timetable for adapting account registration, verification and safety features before the restrictions become operational. Providers will need to distinguish between children barred from accessing their services and older teenagers entitled to use modified versions of those services.

The regulation follows legislation approved by Turkey’s parliament in April that established the minimum age and placed responsibility for compliance on social network operators. Saturday’s publication supplies more detailed requirements for putting those statutory obligations into practice.

Turkey’s approach forms part of an international shift towards placing greater responsibility on technology companies for children’s online safety. Australia introduced restrictions for users younger than 16, while several European governments have been considering tighter age limits and controls on features that encourage prolonged use.

Age verification has also prompted questions internationally about how platforms can enforce age restrictions without collecting excessive personal information. Turkey’s token-based system is intended to address that concern by communicating whether a user qualifies for access rather than transmitting a complete identity record.

The new measures extend beyond account creation to the design of services available to teenagers. They require companies to modify advertising, communication, visibility and engagement functions according to users’ ages, alongside providing parents with tools to supervise children’s activities.

The distinction between age verification and identity disclosure is particularly important because the rules require checks across existing accounts, not merely new registrations. Platforms must therefore introduce verification procedures capable of processing established users while limiting the personal information shared during those checks. The regulations also require companies to explain their child protection arrangements in a manner accessible to families.

Turkey’s Trade Ministry separately introduced restrictions on targeted advertising to children based on personal-data profiling from August, part of a wider set of digital advertising rules. Those provisions address advertising practices, while the newly published social media regulation governs access and platform safeguards.

The rules, issued by the Presidency’s Cyber Security Directorate and published in the Official Gazette, require platforms to verify users’ ages, refuse registrations by children below the threshold and close accounts identified as belonging to them. They also impose extensive safeguards on accounts held by teenagers aged 15 to 17.

Social network operators must introduce technical and administrative measures to enforce the prohibition. Existing users will undergo age verification, with platforms given until 31 March 2027 to complete checks on established accounts. The requirements apply to domestic and overseas providers offering services in Turkey.

Verification will involve the government’s e-Devlet digital services system, which can generate a token confirming whether a user meets the relevant age thresholds. The token is designed to establish eligibility without disclosing names or other identifying details to social media companies.

The regulations require age checks to protect personal information and avoid discriminatory practices. Providers must make their verification systems, algorithms and policies for younger users sufficiently transparent for users, parents and the Cyber Security Directorate to examine and test.

Accounts belonging to teenagers aged 15 to 17 must be private, without an option to switch to public visibility. Platforms must prevent these users from livestreaming and receiving personalised advertisements, while disabling infinite-scrolling feeds intended to encourage prolonged engagement.

Messaging will also be restricted. Teenagers will be permitted to receive messages only from accounts they follow, and their follower and following lists must remain hidden from other users. The measures are intended to limit unwanted contact and reduce exposure to potentially harmful material.

Social media providers must supply parental controls that allow families to manage account settings, supervise screen time and approve purchases or other paid transactions. These tools must be clearly presented and straightforward to use, rather than buried within complicated settings.

The rules require platforms serving older minors to consider children’s physical, mental, psychological, social and emotional development. Services considered likely to create addictive behaviour among children are prohibited under the new framework.

Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said the regulation marked a further stage in implementing legislation adopted by parliament earlier this year. She said companies would be required to verify ages and provide stronger privacy and content protections for teenagers who remain eligible to use social networks.

The publication gives technology companies a timetable for adapting account registration, verification and safety features before the restrictions become operational. Providers will need to distinguish between children barred from accessing their services and older teenagers entitled to use modified versions of those services.

The regulation follows legislation approved by Turkey’s parliament in April that established the minimum age and placed responsibility for compliance on social network operators. Saturday’s publication supplies more detailed requirements for putting those statutory obligations into practice.

Turkey’s approach forms part of an international shift towards placing greater responsibility on technology companies for children’s online safety. Australia introduced restrictions for users younger than 16, while several European governments have been considering tighter age limits and controls on features that encourage prolonged use.

Age verification has also prompted questions internationally about how platforms can enforce age restrictions without collecting excessive personal information. Turkey’s token-based system is intended to address that concern by communicating whether a user qualifies for access rather than transmitting a complete identity record.

The new measures extend beyond account creation to the design of services available to teenagers. They require companies to modify advertising, communication, visibility and engagement functions according to users’ ages, alongside providing parents with tools to supervise children’s activities.

The distinction between age verification and identity disclosure is particularly important because the rules require checks across existing accounts, not merely new registrations. Platforms must therefore introduce verification procedures capable of processing established users while limiting the personal information shared during those checks. The regulations also require companies to explain their child protection arrangements in a manner accessible to families.

Turkey’s Trade Ministry separately introduced restrictions on targeted advertising to children based on personal-data profiling from August, part of a wider set of digital advertising rules. Those provisions address advertising practices, while the newly published social media regulation governs access and platform safeguards.

The rules, issued by the Presidency’s Cyber Security Directorate and published in the Official Gazette, require platforms to verify users’ ages, refuse registrations by children below the threshold and close accounts identified as belonging to them. They also impose extensive safeguards on accounts held by teenagers aged 15 to 17.

Social network operators must introduce technical and administrative measures to enforce the prohibition. Existing users will undergo age verification, with platforms given until 31 March 2027 to complete checks on established accounts. The requirements apply to domestic and overseas providers offering services in Turkey.

Verification will involve the government’s e-Devlet digital services system, which can generate a token confirming whether a user meets the relevant age thresholds. The token is designed to establish eligibility without disclosing names or other identifying details to social media companies.

The regulations require age checks to protect personal information and avoid discriminatory practices. Providers must make their verification systems, algorithms and policies for younger users sufficiently transparent for users, parents and the Cyber Security Directorate to examine and test.

Accounts belonging to teenagers aged 15 to 17 must be private, without an option to switch to public visibility. Platforms must prevent these users from livestreaming and receiving personalised advertisements, while disabling infinite-scrolling feeds intended to encourage prolonged engagement.

Messaging will also be restricted. Teenagers will be permitted to receive messages only from accounts they follow, and their follower and following lists must remain hidden from other users. The measures are intended to limit unwanted contact and reduce exposure to potentially harmful material.

Social media providers must supply parental controls that allow families to manage account settings, supervise screen time and approve purchases or other paid transactions. These tools must be clearly presented and straightforward to use, rather than buried within complicated settings.

The rules require platforms serving older minors to consider children’s physical, mental, psychological, social and emotional development. Services considered likely to create addictive behaviour among children are prohibited under the new framework.

Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said the regulation marked a further stage in implementing legislation adopted by parliament earlier this year. She said companies would be required to verify ages and provide stronger privacy and content protections for teenagers who remain eligible to use social networks.

The publication gives technology companies a timetable for adapting account registration, verification and safety features before the restrictions become operational. Providers will need to distinguish between children barred from accessing their services and older teenagers entitled to use modified versions of those services.

The regulation follows legislation approved by Turkey’s parliament in April that established the minimum age and placed responsibility for compliance on social network operators. Saturday’s publication supplies more detailed requirements for putting those statutory obligations into practice.

Turkey’s approach forms part of an international shift towards placing greater responsibility on technology companies for children’s online safety. Australia introduced restrictions for users younger than 16, while several European governments have been considering tighter age limits and controls on features that encourage prolonged use.

Age verification has also prompted questions internationally about how platforms can enforce age restrictions without collecting excessive personal information. Turkey’s token-based system is intended to address that concern by communicating whether a user qualifies for access rather than transmitting a complete identity record.

The new measures extend beyond account creation to the design of services available to teenagers. They require companies to modify advertising, communication, visibility and engagement functions according to users’ ages, alongside providing parents with tools to supervise children’s activities.

The distinction between age verification and identity disclosure is particularly important because the rules require checks across existing accounts, not merely new registrations. Platforms must therefore introduce verification procedures capable of processing established users while limiting the personal information shared during those checks. The regulations also require companies to explain their child protection arrangements in a manner accessible to families.

Turkey’s Trade Ministry separately introduced restrictions on targeted advertising to children based on personal-data profiling from August, part of a wider set of digital advertising rules. Those provisions address advertising practices, while the newly published social media regulation governs access and platform safeguards.