Turkiye: Information and Communication Technologies Authority's regulation on social network providers including provision of age-appropriate services

On 1 April 2023, the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK)'s decision titled "Procedures and Principles about Social Network Providers," entered into force. This decision, issued under Additional Article 4 of Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Broadcasts via the Internet and the Prevention of Crimes Committed through Such Broadcasts (Internet Law), replaces BTK’s 2 October 2020 decision that initially set out obligations for social network providers. The updated regulation introduces new requirements for age verification and age-appropriate services, mandating that platforms with more than one million daily users from Turkey implement measures to protect minors online. Social network providers must ensure that children’s accounts have enhanced privacy settings, limit data collection from minors, and present user agreements, privacy settings, and content policies in child-friendly language. Platforms must also take preventative measures against sexual exploitation, commercial targeting, and harmful content exposure. BTK is empowered to audit compliance, and providers that fail to implement age-appropriate safeguards may face administrative fines, restrictions on operations, or additional regulatory scrutiny.