Social Media Ban for Under 15s Has Come Into Effect: Will Children's Accounts Be Closed?
This article provides general information. Legislation, time limits and amounts may change over time; obtain an up-to-date assessment of your specific situation.
Av. Gizem Gonce · November 1, 2026
Attorney Gizem Gonce: “Protecting children in the digital world is important; however, age verification, the protection of personal data, and freedom of expression must be evaluated together.”
As of November 1, 2026, the new age limit application regarding social media usage has entered into force. With the regulation prepared by the Presidency Cyber Security Directorate and published in the Official Gazette (Resmî Gazete) on October 10, 2026, social network providers will not be able to provide services to children who have not completed the age of 15, in accordance with the Regulation on the Provision of Differentiated Services Specific to Children by Social Network Providers and Age Verification (Sosyal Ağ Sağlayıcı Tarafından Çocuklara Özgü Ayrıştırılmış Hizmet Sunulmasına ve Yaş Doğrulamaya İlişkin Yönetmelik).
The new regulation is not just a provision that prevents children from opening social media accounts. It also introduces new obligations in many areas for children in the 15-18 age group, from privacy settings to messaging features, and from live broadcasts to personalized advertisements.
The fact that age verification is performed via a token created through e-Devlet, that a transition period is granted for existing accounts until March 31, 2027, and that new control tools are offered to parents are among the notable points of the regulation.
Evaluating how the new application will affect children, families, and social media companies, Attorney Gizem Gonce made important statements regarding the legal dimensions of the regulation.
Attorney Gizem Gonce answered
The 15-year age limit on social media has come into effect. What exactly does the new regulation bring?
Attorney Gizem Gonce: The Regulation on the Provision of Differentiated Services Specific to Children by Social Network Providers and Age Verification, which was published in the Official Gazette on October 10, 2026, and entered into force on November 1, 2026, introduces important obligations for the protection of children in digital environments.
The main purpose of the regulation is to protect children against digital content that is not suitable for their age, online risks, and the uncontrolled use of their personal data.
Within the scope of the regulation, social network providers will not be able to provide services to children who have not completed the age of 15. Users who have completed the age of 15 but have not yet completed the age of 18 will be evaluated within the scope of differentiated services specific to children.
There is an important distinction here: The regulation does not ban all internet usage or children's access to the internet. It introduces an age limit regarding social network services within a specific legal definition.
Will the existing social media accounts of children under 15 be closed?
Attorney Gizem Gonce: Yes. The regulation covers not only newly opened accounts but also previously created accounts.
Age verification procedures for existing accounts must be completed by March 31, 2027. If it is determined as a result of the verification that the user has not completed the age of 15, the social network provider will inform the user and close the account.
Therefore, families also need to take the new regulation into account regarding their children's existing social media accounts.
However, it is also important that the account closure process is carried out in accordance with the law, that the user is informed, and that the objection mechanism provided for in the regulation is operated.
How will age verification be done? Will users have to share their identity information with social media companies?
Attorney Gizem Gonce: The regulation provides for an age verification token system to be created via the e-Devlet Gateway.
The user will transmit the token created through the relevant system to the social media platform. The platform will also check the accuracy of the token to determine which age group the user is in.
There is an important safeguard here, especially in terms of the protection of personal data. Instead of all the details of the user's identity, the token is based on age threshold information regarding whether they have completed the age of 15 and 18.
This approach aims to prevent social media companies from accessing users' identity information unnecessarily.
However, in the technical implementation of the age verification system, data security, lawful data processing, access authorizations, and retention periods must be meticulously observed.
What restrictions will be applied to the social media accounts of children between the ages of 15-18?
Attorney Gizem Gonce: The regulation provides for a special service model for children who have completed the age of 15 but have not completed the age of 18.
In this context, high-level privacy and security settings will be applied by default to children's accounts. Accounts will be private, and platforms will not be able to offer the option to make these accounts public.
In addition, child users will only be able to receive private messages from accounts they follow. Other users will not be able to view the children's follower and following lists.
Live broadcasts and personalized commercial advertisements will not be allowed on children's accounts.
The purpose of these regulations is to limit children from being easily found by strangers, being exposed to unwanted communications, and their personal data being used for commercial purposes.
Are parents' control powers over their children's social media accounts increasing?
Attorney Gizem Gonce: Yes. Within the scope of the regulation, an obligation is imposed on social network providers to offer parental control tools.
Through these tools, parents will be able to control their children's account settings, limit social media usage times, and provide control over paid transactions.
Linking purchasing, renting, and paid membership transactions to parental approval and setting spending limits are also evaluated within this scope.
However, there is a point I want to underline here: Parental control should not mean the complete elimination of the child's private life. Proportionate control should be applied by considering the child's age, level of development, best interests, and personal rights.
What will happen if social media platforms do not comply with these obligations?
Attorney Gizem Gonce: The regulation imposes obligations on social network providers not only regarding age verification but also regarding the provision of services specific to children, privacy and security measures, and parental control tools.
In case of violation of these obligations, the sanction mechanisms regulated in the Additional Article 4 of Law No. 5651 may come to the agenda.
What is important here is that the sanctions are applied in accordance with the procedures and conditions in the relevant law. The nature of the violation, the time granted for its rectification, and the gradual sanction system provided for in the law should be evaluated together.
In particular, the fact that foreign social network providers accessible from Turkey are also included in the scope of the regulation makes the international dimension of the application important.
Can an objection be made if incorrect age determination is made or if a child's account is closed unfairly?
Attorney Gizem Gonce: Yes. The regulation provides for the possibility of a free objection against the age verification result and the account closure process.
This safeguard is extremely important. Because in digital systems, the possibility of technical errors, incorrect evaluations, or incorrect matching of user information cannot be completely eliminated.