A new regulation covering domestic and foreign social networks accessible from Turkey has entered into force. In accordance with the “Regulation on the Provision of Services Specifically Designed for Children and Age Verification by Social Network Providers,” prepared by the Presidential Cyber Security Directorate, children under the age of 15 will not be permitted to open social media accounts.
The regulation, published in the Official Gazette on October 10, makes age verification mandatory for new account openings. Accordingly, social network providers will verify the age group of users via a token to be generated through the e-Devlet Gateway. Requests to open accounts by individuals determined to be under 15 will be rejected.
HOW WILL AGE VERIFICATION BE CONDUCTED?
The regulation stipulates that age verification will be conducted via the e-Devlet Gateway. Upon the user's request, an age verification token will be generated by the Cyber Security Directorate through e-Devlet. The user will then transmit this token to the social network platform where they wish to open an account.
Platforms will confirm that the token was generated by the Directorate to determine the user's age group. The token will only contain information on whether the user has reached the age of 15, and if so, whether they have reached the age of 18. Social network providers will be able to use this token solely for the purpose of age verification.
The regulation also sets a timeline for existing accounts. For accounts opened before the regulation entered into force and whose age has not been verified through this method, verification procedures must be completed by March 31, 2027. If it is determined that the account holder is under 15, the platform will inform the user and close the account.
Users will be granted the right to appeal the age verification result or the account closure decision free of charge. Content and personal data in the account will not be deleted until the appeal process is concluded.
The regulation also introduces special rules for accounts of children in the 15-17 age group. Accounts of users in this age group will be private; platforms will not be able to offer the option to make these accounts public. Children will only be able to receive messages from accounts they follow, and other users will not be able to see the children's follower lists or the accounts they follow.
Furthermore, children in the 15-17 age group will not be permitted to host live broadcasts from their accounts. Personal data belonging to children cannot be used for profiling or for presenting personalized commercial advertisements.
Parents, meanwhile, will be able to monitor and limit the time their children spend on social media using control tools to be provided by the platforms. Purchasing, renting, and paid subscription transactions can be made subject to parental approval; spending limits can be set for these transactions.
News Source: 12punto
