Turkey’s parliament has voted to restrict access to social media platforms for users under the age of 15.
Under the new legislation, under-15s will be prohibited from creating accounts on social media platforms. Digital companies will also be required to implement age-verification systems to enforce the rules, Turkish broadcaster NTV reported. The law is expected to come into force six months after being published in the official gazette.
The legislation was introduced by the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is expected to sign it into law. In addition, the law requires platforms to respond rapidly to harmful content reports. According to NTV, major social media platforms will have a duty to intervene within an hour if content is flagged as an emergency.
The move places Turkey among a growing number of countries introducing stricter rules on social media use among minors. Australia has already implemented a ban for users under 16, while similar proposals are being debated in France, Greece, and other European countries.
