The Turkish parliament has passed legislation that would ban all children under 15 from using social media platforms. The bill requires age-verification measures, parental control tools, and faster content moderation. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now has 15 days to sign the legislation into law after describing social media as "cesspools" in a televised address.

Lawmakers fast-tracked the bill following two deadly school shootings in Turkey. Police arrested 162 people accused of sharing footage of the tragedies online. The legislation also targets online gaming companies, which would face penalties including bandwidth restrictions and financial fines for failing to restrict minors.

Turkey has a history of restricting social media platforms. Instagram was blocked in 2024 over Hamas-related content disputes, while Roblox faced a ban citing inappropriate sexual content. Twitter (now X) has been temporarily blocked multiple times, most recently after the devastating 2023 earthquakes.

This move aligns Turkey with a growing European trend. Australia became the first country to ban social media for children under 16 last year, followed by Greece and Austria introducing similar restrictions. The UK is also considering tighter controls on minors' access to platforms.