Turkey bars under-15s from social media starting 1 November

Turkey will prohibit social media platforms from serving children under 15 from 1 November under rules published in its Official Gazette, The Next Web reports. Platforms must verify new users' ages with a token from Turkey's e-government system and block anyone under 15. Existing accounts must be checked by 31 March 2027. Accounts for users aged 15 to 17 must be private by default and filtered, without personalised ads or livestreaming. Platforms must also disable endless scrolling and provide parental controls over settings, screen time and purchases. Violations can bring fines of up to 3% of global revenue, advertising bans and internet bandwidth cuts.