“Children are not commodities.” Türkiye is preparing a law cutting minors off from social media platforms

Türkiye will introduce a ban on the use of social media platforms for children under 15 years of age, announced Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services, quoted by the BIA agency.

“We cannot allow social media platforms to treat our children as commercial goods,” the minister said. She announced that a draft law introducing a ban on the use of social networking sites by children under 15 years of age will be submitted to the Turkish parliament by the end of the month.

She explained that the project would require companies not to offer these services or allow users under 15 years of age to create accounts. The bill will also include provisions on establishing effective content filtering systems to protect children from harmful material, Turkish media reported.

Goktas noted that many countries have already taken steps to protect children from threats in the digital space, adding that Türkiye has been working on the issue for a year and a half. “Over the last 18 months, we have conducted extensive research with the participation of experts, scientists, social media platforms, civil society organizations and, above all, families and children themselves,” she noted.

Last month, Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide ban on the use of social networking sites for minors. Under the new regulations, large platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and others cannot allow users under 16 years of age to access their services. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$32.9 million). (PAP)

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