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Turkiye MPs pass bill to restrict social media use for children under 15
TL;DR
Turkish MPs have passed a bill restricting social media access for children under 15. This legislation follows a tragic school shooting and aims to enhance online safety for young users.
Key points
- Turkish MPs passed a bill restricting social media for children under 15
- Legislation aims to protect young people from dangerous online activity
- Bill requires age-verification systems and parental control tools
Turkish MPs have passed a bill that includes restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15, according to state media.
The legislation is the latest in a global trend aimed at protecting young people from dangerous online activity, following in the footsteps of Australia, which introduced landmark restrictions on social media use last year.
The bill’s adoption in Turkiye comes a week after a 14-year-old boy killed nine students and a teacher in a gun attack at a middle school in Kahramanmaras in southern Turkiye.
Police are investigating the online activity of the perpetrator, who also died, in a bid to uncover his motivation for the attack.
The bill would force social media platforms to install age‑verification systems, provide parental control tools and require companies to rapidly respond to content deemed harmful, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now has 15 days to approve the bill for it to become law. He spoke in the wake of the Kahramanmaras killings of the need to mitigate the online risks to children’s safety and privacy.
“We are living in a period where some digital sharing applications are corrupting our children’s minds, and social media platforms have, to put it bluntly, become cesspools,” he said in a televised address on Monday.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has criticised the proposal, saying children should be protected “not with bans but with rights-based policies”.
Mandatory measures
Under the law, digital platforms – such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram – would have to block children under 15 from opening accounts and introduce parental controls that would manage children’s access.
Online gaming companies will also be required to appoint a representative in Turkiye to ensure they abide by the new regulations. Potential penalties include internet bandwidth reductions and fines imposed by Turkiye’s communications watchdog.
The Turkish government has been criticised by the opposition for restricting online platforms when used as a means of expressing dissent.
Online communications were widely restricted during last year’s protests in support of Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
Restrictions on social media access for children under 16 first began in December in Australia, where social media companies revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children.
Q&A
What does the new social media bill in Turkiye entail?
The bill requires social media platforms to implement age-verification systems, provide parental control tools, and respond quickly to harmful content.
Why was the social media bill passed in Turkiye?
The bill was passed in response to a school shooting incident involving a 14-year-old, aiming to protect children from dangerous online activities.
How does Turkiye's social media legislation compare to other countries?
Turkiye's bill follows a global trend, similar to Australia's recent restrictions on social media use for minors, aimed at safeguarding young users.
