[66673] Turkey promotes new regulation: Age restrictions on social media use for minors

Turkey on the path to restricting social media use for minors

The Turkish government announced today, May 19, 2026, new regulatory steps aimed at limiting the exposure of minors under the age of 15 to social networks. According to reports from the channels Son Dakika Haberler Türkiye and Son Dakika Haberler Gündem, the Minister of Family and Social Services, Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, stated that the government plans to implement a new regulation on the matter within a period of six months.

As part of her statement following the cabinet meeting, Minister Göktaş noted that the Ministry is working to establish clear principles for social media use by children. According to Son Dakika Haberler Türkiye, the system will rely on technology-based age verification tools, using the digital government system 'e-Devlet' and other verification methods to ensure the enforcement of the directive.

The reports, which received widespread coverage in Turkish news channels, emphasize that the issue is currently at the top of the Ministry of Family's priority list. According to Haber Gündem, the Minister described the move as a necessary step for protecting children in the virtual space, emphasizing the defined timeline: "Approval of the regulation will take place within six months."

These sources are identified as local news channels focusing on "real-time news" (Son Dakika) reports, which provide ongoing updates from political ranks in Turkey without deep analytical interpretation, focusing instead on conveying ministerial statements as they were made.