A new regulation governing age verification and age-specific services for children on social media platforms has been published in Türkiye’s Official Gazette. Prepared by the Cyber Security Presidency, the Regulation on the Provision of Age-Differentiated Services for Children by Social Network Providers and Age Verification will enter into force on 1 November 2026.
The regulation covers domestic and foreign social network providers whose services are accessible from Türkiye.
Under the new rules, social network providers will be prohibited from providing services to children under the age of 15. Users aged 15 and above who are still minors must be offered differentiated services designed to protect their physical, mental and psychological development.
During account registration, a user’s age status will be verified through an “age verification token” generated via Türkiye’s e-Government Gateway (e-Devlet).
New privacy and interaction rules for children’s accounts
The regulation establishes technical and administrative requirements for social media accounts belonging to users aged 15 and above who are still minors.
Privacy and visibility: Children’s accounts must be private by default and cannot be made publicly accessible. Information about followers and followed accounts must not be visible to third parties.
Messaging restrictions: Only accounts followed by a child user will be permitted to send messages to that user. Messages must not display read receipts, and the ability to start live broadcasts will be restricted.
Algorithms and content feeds: Platforms will not be allowed to use interfaces that present visual content in a continuous, infinite feed through scrolling or clicking on children’s accounts. Addictive features and behavioural or personalised advertising activities will also be prohibited.
Screenshots and contact synchronisation: Social network providers must implement technical measures to prevent screenshots of profile pictures and posts. Synchronisation with phone contacts or contact lists on other platforms will not be permitted.
Existing accounts must be verified by March 2027
The regulation also establishes a deadline for existing accounts. Social network providers must complete age verification for existing accounts through e-Devlet by 31 March 2027. Accounts found to belong to users below the applicable minimum age will be closed.
The age verification requirements will apply to social network providers covered by the regulation, subject to the specific procedures established for different categories of users.
Foreign tourists can verify their age using passports
The regulation introduces a separate verification procedure for foreign nationals who are temporarily staying in Türkiye and are not resident in the country.
These users will be exempt from the standard age verification control mechanisms specified in the regulation.
To access social network services while in Türkiye, temporary foreign visitors will be able to obtain an exceptional age verification token through an online service accessible using passport information alone. The procedure will not require identity verification through the e-Government Gatewayn (eDevlet).
The passport-based procedure is specifically intended for foreign users who are temporarily present in Türkiye and do not reside in the country. It differs from the standard age verification process established for other users.
Administrative and technical sanctions for non-compliance
Social network providers that fail to comply with the regulation will be subject to the administrative and technical sanctions stipulated under Article Additional 4 of Law No. 5651.
The regulation sets out requirements covering age verification, the provision of age-appropriate services to children, account privacy, interaction features, content presentation and the verification procedures applicable to temporary foreign visitors.
The new rules will take effect on 1 November 2026, while social network providers will have until 31 March 2027 to complete age verification for existing accounts.
