Turkey's parliament has approved a bill restricting the use of social media for children under 15, the Associated Press reported, citing local media.

The bill requires social media platforms to implement age verification systems, provide parental control tools, and promptly remove content deemed harmful. The new rules apply to YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must sign the document within 15 days for it to become law. Earlier, following a school shooting in Kahramanmaras, Erdogan emphasized the need to reduce online risks for children's safety and privacy.

“We live in a time when some digital data-sharing applications are corrupting our children's minds, and social media platforms, frankly speaking, have become dens of evil,” he said in a televised address on April 20.

The opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) criticized the bill, arguing that children should be protected “with a policy based on human rights, not bans.”

The law's approval follows recent school shootings in Turkey. On April 14, a 19-year-old opened fire at a high school in Sanliurfa province, wounding 16 people (10 students, 4 teachers, a police officer, and a cafeteria worker). On April 15, an 8th-grade student carried out a shooting at a school in Kahramanmaras, killing 9 people (mostly students) and injuring 13.

Australia was the first country to introduce restrictions on social media use for children under 16 in December 2025. Similar measures are being considered in the UK, France, Spain, and Denmark.

Source: www.gazeta.uz