A regulation prepared by the Cybersecurity Presidency and published in the Official Gazette dated October 10, 2026, introduces a social media ban for children under 15 while setting out strict safety rules for those aged 15-18. The regulation covers all platforms accessed from Turkey, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Discord.
Age verification will be carried out with a token obtained via e-Devlet (Turkey’s online portal for public services), without identity details being shared with the platforms; the token will only show whether the user has turned 15 and 18. Platforms will be able to suspend suspicious accounts and request re-verification; new account requests from those under 15 will be rejected. Existing accounts have been given until March 31, 2027; accounts that are not verified or that turn out to belong to users under 15 will be closed and their data deleted. The regulation will enter into force on November 1, 2026.
Key rules for ages 15-18:
- Profiles will be set to the highest privacy level, and follow lists will be visible only to the user
- Only accounts that follow each other will be able to send messages, and there will be no “seen” indicator
- Livestreaming and personalized advertising are banned; screenshots will be blocked
- Parents will be able to manage usage time, spending, location, and purchases
- The appeals mechanism will be in Turkish and involve human review
Background
The Gazette is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: in the past 90 days we published one story in which this name appeared; that piece is dated October 1, 2026.