Social Media Ban for Under 15s in Türkiye: Twitch Adapts to New Rules

A significant legal framework concerning social media use in Türkiye became effective on November 1, 2026. This new social media ban prevents children who have not yet reached 15 years of age from creating accounts on social networking platforms. The primary goal of this decision is to enhance the safety of children in the digital environment.

Under these rules, users wishing to create a new account must verify their age through e-Devlet, Türkiye's national e-government portal. Furthermore, comprehensive restrictions have been introduced for young people aged between 15 and 18, covering areas such as live streaming, messaging, and advertisement display.

Details of the New Regulation

Prepared by the Presidency of the Cyber Security Department and published in the Official Gazette on October 10, 2026, the "Regulation on Providing Differentiated Service for Children by Social Network Providers and Age Verification" mandates compliance from all domestic and international social network providers accessible from Türkiye. Social media companies are now required to verify user ages and provide age-appropriate services to users under 18.

Age verification is conducted via a special token generated through e-Devlet, which does not contain the individual's personal identification details. This token merely indicates whether the user has reached 15 years of age and if they are under 18. While account creation requests from children under 15 will be rejected, users aged 15-18 will be able to use social media with specific limitations. These restrictions include default private accounts, a ban on live streaming, and limited messaging features. Additionally, platforms will disable addictive infinite scrolling features and personalized advertisements for this age group. Phone contact synchronization will also be prevented.

Twitch's Response

Twitch has also announced its swift compliance with this new regulation. According to DonanımHaber, as of October 29, 2026, Turkish citizens under 15 are no longer permitted to open new accounts on Twitch. Existing accounts belonging to users under 15 will be closed in February 2027. Twitch stated that it would issue refunds for any subscriptions and accumulated Bits in these closed accounts. Owners of closed accounts will be able to contact customer service to reactivate their accounts with their previous usernames once they turn 15.

Age Group	Account Creation	Key Restrictions
Under 15	Forbidden	N/A
15-18 years old	Verified via e-Devlet	Default private account, live streaming banned, limited messaging, no infinite scroll, no personalized ads, no contact sync

Why it matters

This new regulation stands out as a significant step aimed at reducing the risks children may encounter online and protecting their digital well-being. It specifically targets issues such as cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, and internet addiction. The regulation places responsibility on social media platforms to strengthen their age verification systems and offer secure, child-specific services. This will necessitate substantial changes in the operational models and user experience designs of social media companies. For parents, it provides an opportunity to manage their children's online activities within a safer framework.

What it means for you

For users in Türkiye, this regulation will have direct implications, particularly for young people and their parents. If you are a child under 15, you will no longer be able to open an account on any social media platform. If you currently have an account, as seen with the Twitch example, these accounts will be progressively closed, and you will receive refunds for any subscriptions. If you are between 15 and 18 years old, your social media experience will change significantly; your account will be private by default, you won't be able to live stream, and you won't encounter personalized advertisements. Parents should closely monitor these new rules to ensure their children's digital safety and inform them about these changes. Anyone wishing to open a new account will need to complete age verification through e-Devlet.