First 6 articles approved: Social media restrictions for those under 15 are coming

The first step has been taken in a legislative proposal that introduces restrictions on social media use for those under 15 and envisions various changes in the field of social policy. The first 6 articles of the proposal, which includes amendments to the Social Services Law and several other laws, have been approved by the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

Within the scope of the approved regulations, changes are also being made to the Income Tax Law. Accordingly, donations of food, cleaning supplies, clothing, and fuel, as well as other aid provided to the Darülaceze, will be exempt from income tax.

MATERNITY LEAVE EXTENDED

According to the regulation in the proposal, the paid post-natal leave period granted to female civil servants under the Civil Servants Law is being increased from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. Additionally, the period that can be transferred from pre-natal leave to post-natal leave upon request is being increased by one week.

The regulation also includes provisions aimed at encouraging civil servants to become foster families.

Following the approval of the first 6 articles, Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Tekin Bingöl adjourned the session. As the commission did not take its place, the session was closed to reconvene at 14:00.

SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATIONS

Some of the other regulations included in the proposal are as follows:

- Social network providers will provide clear, understandable, and user-friendly parental control tools. Parental control tools will include mechanisms for controlling account settings, making fee-based transactions such as purchases, rentals, and paid memberships subject to parental permission or approval, and monitoring and limiting usage time.

- Social network providers will be obligated to take measures to prevent deceptive advertising.

- Social network providers with more than 10 million daily accesses from Turkey will be required to implement decisions immediately and within at most one hour in cases where delay is deemed harmful, and will take all necessary measures to ensure that content subject to removal or access-blocking decisions made in accordance with the Law is not published on their own websites.

- Gaming platforms will be obligated to remove content that has not been properly rated, without prejudice to their responsibilities and obligations arising from being a content or hosting provider.

- Foreign-sourced gaming platforms with more than 100 thousand daily accesses from Turkey will be obligated to appoint a natural or legal person representative in Turkey and notify the BTK of the information regarding this representative.

- Gaming platforms will provide clear, understandable, and user-friendly parental control tools.

- Parental control tools will include mechanisms for controlling account settings and making fee-based transactions such as purchases, rentals, and paid memberships subject to parental permission or approval.

- In cases where no decision has been made to provide temporary financial aid to women and children deemed to have insufficient income, a net allowance will be provided without any deductions according to the rate specified in the relevant Law.

News Source: 12punto