By Janet Ekstract, ISTANBUL-New social media rules for kids under 15 in Turkiye will be introduced in the coming weeks, the Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş announced on February 16. Göktaş shared details of the new law on a social media post along with a video that stressed concerns about lowered attention spans and the effects of constant digital stimulation in young social media users. The minister explained that it’s alarming that kids can only focus on a single topic for just eight seconds and that continual digital engagement is extremely detrimental. Göktaş emphasized that children’s attention spans have seen a 30 percent decline over the last decade, affecting not only academic performance but social interactions and overall development. She said such changes create more challenges for educators: “Countries worldwide are already implementing or discussing social media regulations aimed at protecting children.” As Göktaş further noted: “We are committed to providing a safer online environment for our youth and seek support of parents and teachers in this endeavor.”
The key measures of the proposed legislation include a minimum age limit for children under 15 who will be prohibited from creating or using social media accounts. A second measure is age verification that social media platforms must implement identity verification systems to guarantee compliance. The third measure includes content filtering where platforms prevent children from accessing material considered age inappropriate. The fourth measure includes a timeline for implementation with the new regulation expected to be finalized and submitted to the relevant parliamentary commission in the next few weeks.
