Turkey: Restrictions planned for Instagram, YouTube & Co.
Access to social media platforms may soon be more strictly regulated in Turkey. The state is currently examining services like Instagram and YouTube.
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Turkey is initiating investigations into the online services TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X, and Discord. This was announced by the Turkish Data Protection Authority on Friday. The aim is to examine how the platforms protect children and adolescents from online risks and how they handle their data.
The investigations are being conducted against the backdrop of extensive regulations on online access for minors in Turkey. In the future, social media accounts will only be creatable from the age of 15, reports the government-affiliated Hürriyet Daily News. Access must not be possible before that. For individuals between 15 and 18 years old, biometric restrictions are also planned.
The state intends to delegate the responsibility for this to the platforms themselves. In case of violations, for example, the internet bandwidth of the services could be temporarily reduced. Just last year, some services in the country were temporarily severely restricted in response to protests.
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Furthermore, a real name obligation and identity verification via phone number or ID card are to be introduced. The planned “family package” also includes the option to remove social media content without a court order, according to the news portal Turkish Minute. A corresponding legislative proposal from the governing AKP party is expected within the next few days.
Similar measures in Germany?
Discussions about similar measures are also underway in Germany, justified by youth protection. The CDU party conference, for example, decided on the weekend that the federal government should initiate a ban on social media for individuals under 14 years of age. As a coalition partner, the SPD had also spoken out in favor of this age limit beforehand. Accordingly, children and adolescents under 14 years of age should not have access to social media platforms. Between the ages of 14 and 16, they should also only be able to use youth versions of the services. The real name obligation demanded by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on the other hand, is off the table for now.
(mack)
