Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş has announced that an omnibus bill, which also includes regulations on social media use for children under the age of 15, will be submitted to the relevant parliamentary committee by the end of the month.
Göktaş made the statement while answering journalists’ questions following the Cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Complex in Ankara under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Responding to a question about the planned regulation, she said the aim is to place greater responsibility on social media platforms.
According to the draft bill, social network providers would be required not to offer any services to children under the age of 15 and not to allow them to open accounts. In addition, effective filtering systems would have to be established to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful content.
Göktaş noted that many countries have taken measures to protect children from risks in the digital environment and pointed to Australia, where access to social media is prohibited for children under the age of 16. “We must not allow social media platforms to use our children as a commercial commodity. We cannot remain silent in the face of this,” she said. She added that the ministry has been working on this issue for the past year and a half together with experts, academics, social media platforms, civil society organizations, families, and children themselves.
In conclusion, Göktaş stated that the draft law, including the regulation for children under 15, will be submitted to parliament for further consideration later this month.
