Türkiye mulls social media restrictions for children under 13

The Turkish authorities have started to deliberate a series of measures, including a potential outright ban, to regulate smartphone and social media use among children under the age of 13.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) has initiated efforts and recently discussed the move with a parliamentary commission.

Abdülkerim Gün, the deputy chairperson of the authority, addressed a subcommittee in the parliament tasked with focusing on peer bullying in the country.

During his presentation to the MPs, the official highlighted international precedents that The U.S. state of Florida has banned children under 13 from using social media platforms.

Gün further stated that the BTK is drafting amendments to Law No. 5651, which governs online broadcasting and combats internet-based crimes, with the aim of prohibiting children under 13 from accessing social media networks and applications.

"Our proposal is to revise Law No. 5651 to impose a prohibition on social media use for individuals under 13, specifically targeting students in the middle-school age bracket," he elaborated.

The Family and Social Services Ministry is also conducting a comparative analysis of global practices concerning children's use of social media and is set to present a report to the parliamentary commission in the near future.

Turkish authorities have recently voiced concerns over the adverse psychological and social repercussions of excessive social media use among children, cautioning that, in extreme cases, it could propel them toward delinquency.

Some 91 percent of children aged 6 to 15 in Türkiye were reported to be using the internet, with YouTube emerging as the most prevalent social media platform among this age group, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced last month.

Globally, various countries have implemented or are considering restrictions on children's access to social media. Australia stands as the latest example.

The Australian Senate was debating a ban on children younger than 16 years old from social media on Nov. 28 after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported the age restriction.

The bill would make platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to AU$50 million ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.

In France, children under 15 require parental consent to access social media platforms.