ISTANBUL — Turkey’s parliament approved legislation restricting children under 15 from using social media, escalating a national fight over child safety, online speech and state control of digital platforms, April 23, 2026. The measure would require age verification, parental control tools and faster responses to harmful content, according to The Associated Press.
Turkey social media ban targets under-15 users
The bill would bar social media companies from offering services to users under 15 and would require platforms to verify ages. Reuters reported the legislation also includes new rules for digital platforms and gaming companies.
Supporters say the measure is needed to protect children from harmful content, online exploitation and addictive design. Critics argue the rules could expand censorship in a country where digital platforms already face heavy government pressure.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must approve the measure before it takes effect. The proposal follows heightened concern over youth safety after a school shooting in Kahramanmaras, a case officials linked to questions about online influence.
Critics see child safety bill as part of wider control
Opposition figures and rights advocates say the government should focus on digital literacy, platform accountability and targeted enforcement instead of broad bans. Al Jazeera said lawmakers passed the bill as part of a wider push to require age-verification tools and control mechanisms.
The debate is not new. In 2020, Turkey adopted rules requiring major social media companies to appoint local representatives and comply with takedown requests, with penalties including fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reductions, according to a Reuters factbox on Turkey’s social media rules.
In 2022, parliament passed a “disinformation” law allowing prison terms for spreading false information, a move Reuters reported drew strong free-speech concerns from opposition lawmakers and rights groups in its coverage of the media law targeting disinformation.
Turkey also blocked Instagram in August 2024 before restoring access nine days later after the company agreed to cooperate with authorities, Reuters reported in its story on the end of the Instagram block.
Global pressure grows over children and platforms
Turkey’s move comes as governments worldwide consider stricter age limits for social media. Reuters said Australia, European countries and others have advanced or debated rules aimed at limiting children’s access to platforms in a broader global push to curb children’s social media use.
Norway also plans to propose legislation by the end of 2026 that would ban social media use for children under 16, putting responsibility on tech companies to verify ages, according to Reuters coverage of Norway’s proposal.
The Turkish bill could force major platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X, to redesign age checks and safety systems for users in the country. Gaming platforms may also face new obligations, including local representation and compliance rules.
What happens next
The fiercest debate now centers on enforcement. Age verification could require sensitive personal data, raising privacy concerns, while platform penalties could affect access for all users if companies refuse or fail to comply.
For families, the Turkey social media ban may bring clearer age limits. For critics, it raises a larger question: whether a child-protection law will shield minors online or give the state another tool to police digital speech.
