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Children’s presence in digital environments is no longer incidental; it is structural. Social media, online games, and AI-driven platforms are part of everyday life from an increasingly early age. In response, Türkiye is entering a new phase of regulation: one that moves beyond general platform rules and begins to address children as a distinct regulatory category.
Recent developments show that this shift is not driven by a single law, but by a combination of legislative proposals, regulatory trends, and policy frameworks that together form an emerging model.
The Evolving Legal Landscape
Recently, Türkiye has accelerated its efforts to regulate children’s interaction with digital platforms.
A legislative proposal on the protection of children and young users in digital environments was submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly in early 2026,1 signaling a move toward child-specific platform obligations. The proposal introduces explicit obligations for digital platforms, particularly social network providers, to implement measures aimed at protecting minors.
In parallel, policymakers have been working on a stricter age-based access regime. Recent legislative proposals, including amendments to Law No. 56512, indicate that restrictions on providing services to users under the age of 15 are being considered, alongside requirements for age verification mechanisms, parental control tools, and enhanced platform accountability.
These developments reflect a clear regulatory direction: children are no longer treated as ordinary users subject to general rules, but as a category requiring tailored legal protection.
The Role of the 2026-2030 Action Plan
Alongside legislative efforts, Türkiye has introduced a broader policy framework through the “Action Plan for Strengthening Children in the Digital World (2026-2030),” published in February 2026.3
The Action Plan does not create binding obligations in itself. However, it plays a critical role in shaping the regulatory agenda by defining priorities such as:
- reducing children’s exposure to harmful digital content,
- strengthening institutional coordination, and
- promoting safer digital environments through both regulation and awareness.
Importantly, the plan adopts a multi-stakeholder perspective, explicitly involving not only public authorities but also private sector actors. This reinforces the idea that child protection in digital environments is not solely a matter of state intervention, but also of corporate responsibility.4
The Expanding Scope of Regulation Across Gaming and AI
Another notable trend is the expansion of regulatory attention beyond traditional social media platforms.
Children’s exposure to digital risks is no longer limited to user-generated platforms. Online games, algorithmic recommendation systems, and AI-generated content are increasingly part of the discussion.
In Türkiye, the absence of a dedicated regulatory framework for digital games has been highlighted as a gap, with current practices often relying on general provisions under existing laws. However, ongoing policy discussions suggest that this gap may be addressed in the near term, particularly given the role of games in shaping user behavior and engagement.
At the same time, concerns around AI-generated content, especially its potential to create misleading or harmful experiences for children, are beginning to influence regulatory thinking, even if not yet fully codified.
A Hybrid Model Shaped by Global Influence and Local Priorities
While Türkiye’s approach is shaped by domestic priorities, it also reflects broader global trends.
Jurisdictions such as the EU and the UK have already introduced frameworks that impose proactive obligations on platforms, particularly in relation to minors. Türkiye appears to be moving in a similar direction, but with its own emphasis on age restrictions, parental oversight, and centralized enforcement mechanisms.
What is emerging is a hybrid model:
- combining elements of data protection, platform liability, and child welfare policy,
- supported by both legislative tools and policy instruments such as the Action Plan.
What This Shift Means for Businesses
For companies operating in Türkiye’s digital ecosystem, particularly those accessible to children, the emerging framework translates into a few immediate priorities:
- Age assurance: Emerging as a likely compliance focal point. Ongoing legislative discussions point to stricter age thresholds and verification expectations for platform access.
- Advertising & profiling: Practices involving minors, especially behavioral advertising, are increasingly sensitive under data protection principles and regulatory scrutiny.
- Platform responsibility: An Increasing shift toward proactive measures, including content filtering, parental control tools, and risk mitigation mechanisms.
- Product design: Engagement-driven features (e.g., recommendation systems, gamified mechanics) may be assessed through a child protection lens, particularly where they influence user behavior.
- Governance: Compliance is becoming cross-functional. Legal, product, and technology teams must work together to integrate child safety into service design and operation.
Conclusion
Türkiye is in the process of building a more structured and proactive framework for protecting children in the digital world.
Rather than relying on a single piece of legislation, this framework is developing through a combination of draft laws, regulatory practices, and policy initiatives. Together, they signal a clear shift: from general platform regulation to child-specific digital governance.
For businesses, this means that compliance will increasingly require more than adapting terms and conditions. It will involve rethinking how digital services are designed, how users are onboarded, and how risks are identified and mitigated, particularly where children are concerned.
In this evolving landscape, the key question is no longer whether stricter rules will emerge, but how quickly companies can adapt to a model where child safety is embedded into the architecture of digital services.
Footnotes
4 https://herguner.av.tr/en/action-plan-on-empowering-children-in-the-digital-world-published/
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