Erdogan: Inappropriate and harmful content online
The move was made amid public outrage following two deadly school shootings in Turkey, after which police arrested 162 people suspected of distributing and broadcasting footage of the scenes online. President Erdogan has spoken out strongly against what is happening on these platforms, claiming in a speech to the nation that social media has become a source of inappropriate and harmful content.
Sanctions – significant slowdown in browsing speed
The new law not only restricts traditional social networks, but also imposes similar obligations on online gaming companies, which will now be required to implement age verification measures and ensure that young people are not exposed to inappropriate content. Companies that do not comply with the new requirements are expected to face heavy financial penalties, and in some cases the government may order the bandwidth of their sites to be reduced, which will lead to a significant slowdown in browsing speed for users within the country.
Instagram, Roblox and even Network X
Turkey's history with tech giants includes many clashes, such as when Instagram was blocked in 2024 due to controversies over political content, or when access to the game Roblox was banned due to concerns about child exploitation. Even the X network has been temporarily blocked in the past, especially after sensitive national events such as the 2023 earthquake.
The main challenge of the new law lies in the ability of technology companies to enforce it. They will have to develop reliable tools to verify that users are indeed over the age of 15, a task that raises concerns among privacy experts who say the move would require collecting personal data from the entire population. But the government in Ankara is determined, with data showing that about 90% of the country’s young people surf the net every day without supervision.
