A New Era in Social Media
Dear Parents,
The digital world has become an important part of how our children learn, communicate, express themselves and socialise. However, alongside the opportunities that digital environments offer, they also carry risks related to children's developmental characteristics.
The "Regulation on the Provision of Separate Services Specific to Children by Social Network Providers and on Age Verification", published in the Official Gazette dated 10 October 2026 and numbered 33396, introduces important provisions for protecting children in digital environments.
1. Age Limit of 15 on Social Media
Article 5 of the Regulation states: "A social network provider may not provide services to children who have not reached the age of fifteen."
This provision prevents social network providers from serving children under 15, while aiming to create safer digital environments suited to the age and developmental characteristics of children aged 15 and over.
2. Age Verification System and Transition Period
Under Articles 6 and 7 of the Regulation, social network platforms are obliged to verify the age of their users. Age verification is planned to be carried out with an age verification token to be generated through the e-Government Gateway (e-Devlet).
The Regulation, which entered into force on 1 November 2026, also sets out a transition period for existing user accounts. Under Provisional Article 1, accounts opened before the Regulation entered into force whose age has not yet been verified must complete age verification by 31 March 2027. During this process, existing accounts of children found to be under 15 will be closed, and accounts of children aged 15 and over will be subject to the principles of separate, age-appropriate services.
These provisions aim to limit children's access to digital services that are not appropriate for their age.
3. Provisions That Strengthen Children's Digital Safety
Under Article 8 of the Regulation, social network services offered to children aged 15 and over include protective provisions such as:
• Children's accounts being private by default,
• No live streaming feature on children's accounts,
• Technical measures to prevent screenshots of children's profile photos and posts,
• Protection of children's personal data,
• Prevention of personalised commercial advertising aimed at children.
4. Parental Controls: Guiding Rather Than Prohibiting
Article 9 of the Regulation explains the scope of parental control tools.
These tools are intended to let parents manage their children's account and privacy settings, monitor and limit usage time, and require approval for certain paid transactions.
However, digital safety cannot be achieved through technical measures alone. Being able to talk openly with their families about what they encounter in the digital world is one of the basic conditions for children to develop healthy digital habits.
5. What Can We Do as Families?
To help your children build a healthy relationship with the digital world:
Strengthen communication: Take care to listen, without judgement, to the time your child spends on social media, the content they are interested in and their digital experiences.
Set limits together: Create clear and consistent rules on screen time, sleep patterns and access to digital content that suit your child's age and developmental characteristics.
Build digital awareness: Inform your child about protecting personal data, cyberbullying, digital footprints and online privacy. Help them recognise the risks they may face online.
Be a positive role model: Review your own technology and social media habits. Remember that parents' attitudes play an important role in shaping children's digital behaviour.
Strengthen trust: Create a safe space where your child can share negative experiences they have online with you without fear of being judged or punished.
Protecting children in the digital world is not only about keeping them away from risks. The real aim is to support them in growing up as conscious, responsible and safe digital users.
Remember: your child's strongest safety net in the digital world is the relationship of trust you build with them.
Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Türkiye, 10 October 2026, No. 33396. Regulation on the Provision of Separate Services Specific to Children by Social Network Providers and on Age Verification, Articles 5–9, Provisional Article 1 and Article 13.
TED ÜSKÜDAR COLLEGE | PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING AND GUIDANCE UNIT