The Turkiye Parliament passed a bill that would ban teenagers under the age of 15 from using social media altogether. Not only social media such as YouTube and TikTok but also online games were included in the list.
According to a report by The Associated Press, Turkiye’s parliament recently passed a bill to restrict access to social media platforms for teenagers under the age of 15. If Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approves the bill, the Youth Social Media Regulation Act will become a reality. In a recent televised speech, Erdogan has emphasized the need to regulate social media, saying, “Some digital applications are corrupting the youth spirit.”
According to the Associated Press, when the bill is finalized, digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram should block the creation of accounts for children under the age of 15, and introduce child protection that manages children’s access to social media. Online game companies are also included in the regulation, and they have to designate agents in their Turkiye to comply with the regulations. Violation of the law by platform companies will limit Internet bandwidth and could result in fines from regulators.
After a series of shootings in Turkiye, the passage of the bill accelerated. A shooting spree occurred at a high school on the 14th, and a 14-year-old teenager opened fire in a middle school classroom on the 15th, killing 10 people. The criminal reportedly registered a photo of a criminal who caused a shooting accident in California in 2014 as a WhatsApp profile photo. After the accident, Turkiye authorities detained 83 people and blocked more than 1,000 social media accounts for “criminal beautification.”
“This bill is part of a global trend to protect teenagers from dangerous online activities,” the Associated Press said. “In particular, the bill passed a week after the shooting. Police are investigating the killer’s online activities to determine his motive.”
Not only Turkiye but also Australia and Indonesia are trying to restrict the use of social media among young people. The Associated Press reported that the restriction on social media access for children under the age of 16 was first implemented in Australia in December last year. “Social media companies have revoked the access to 4.7 million accounts identified as owned by children. Last month, Indonesia implemented a regulation that prohibits children under the age of 16 from accessing digital platforms that could expose them to pornography, cyberbullying and online fraud,” he said. Spain, France, and the U.K. are also considering measures to restrict children’s access to social media.
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
