Turkey will ban the use of social networks for children under the age of 15

Erdogan: Inappropriate and harmful content on the Internet

The move was formulated against a background of public shock following two fatal shootings that occurred in schools in Turkey, after which the police arrested 162 people suspected of distributing and broadcasting documents from the difficult scenes across the network. President Erdoğan strongly spoke out against what is happening on these platforms, claiming in a speech to the nation that social networks have become a source of inappropriate and harmful content.

The sanctions – a significant slowdown in surfing speed

The new law does not only limit traditional social networks, but also applies similar obligations to online gaming companies, which will now be required to use age verification measures and ensure that young people are not exposed to inappropriate content. Companies that do not comply with the new requirements are expected to suffer heavy financial penalties, and in some cases the government may order a reduction in the bandwidth of their websites, which will lead to a significant slowdown in browsing speed for users within the country.

Instagram, Roblox and even the X network

Turkey’s history with the tech giants includes many conflicts, for example when in 2024 access to Instagram was blocked due to disputes over political content, or when access to the game Roblox was banned due to concerns of child exploitation. Even the X network has been temporarily blocked in the past, especially after sensitive national events like the 2023 earthquake.

The main challenge of the new law lies in the enforcement ability of the technology companies. They will have to develop reliable tools to verify that users have actually passed the age of 15, a task that raises concerns among privacy experts who claim that the move will require the collection of personal data from the entire population. But the government in Ankara is determined, with data showing that about 90% of the country’s youth surf the net every day without supervision.