Turkey’s social media ban for under-15s starts on 1 November

Turkey will bar social media platforms from serving children under 15 from 1 November, under rules published in the country’s Official Gazette, Inci Ozbek reported for Bloomberg.

Platforms must check users’ ages when they sign up, using a token from Turkey’s e-government system. Anyone found to be under 15 must be blocked.

Existing accounts must be checked by 31 March 2027, and those held by under-15s shut down.

Strict limits for older teens

Accounts for 15 to 17-year-olds will be private by default and filtered. They cannot show personalised ads or offer livestreaming, and platforms must block screenshots of them.

Teens can only message accounts they already follow, and endless scrolling feeds must be switched off, Daily Sabah reported.

Parents must get tools to manage settings, limit screen time and approve purchases.

The rules cover platforms including Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord and Reddit, Daily Sabah said.

Fines of up to 3%

Firms that break the rules face fines of up to 3% of global revenue, ad bans and cuts to their internet bandwidth under Turkey’s internet law.

Parliament passed the law in April, a week after a school shooting.

Turkey joins a growing list of countries trying to keep children off social media. Australia led the way, but its under-16 ban has struggled with enforcement.