What is the social media age limit in Türkiye?
15.
From 1 November 2026 social networks may not serve children under 15. Age is checked with a token generated on e-Devlet; existing accounts have until 31 March 2027.
Last checked: 15 October 2026
- Under 15
- No account
- An existing account found to be under 15 is closed.
- 15 to 18
- Restricted account
- Private by default, message limits, no live streams, no personalised ads.
- 18 and over
- Verified, no limits
- One e-Devlet token, then nothing changes.
Which app won't open in Türkiye?
Take a look at our guides!
Dates
- Parliament passed Law 7578.
- The law was published.
- The age verification regulation was published.
- Verification starts for new accounts.
- Deadline for existing accounts.
Sources: Türkiye Gazetesi, 10 October 2026 (Turkish). Av. Murat Aydar, summary of the regulation (Turkish). Law 7578 (Turkish).
Who it covers
- Which apps?
- The regulation names no apps. It uses the social network provider definition in Law 5651: platforms with more than one million daily accesses from Türkiye. Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and Facebook are at that scale.
- Who verifies?
- Everyone using a social network from Türkiye, adults included. The platform asks; you get the token from e-Devlet.
- Games?
- A separate article covers game platforms: age ratings, parental controls, and a representative in Türkiye for foreign platforms with more than 100,000 daily accesses. It also starts on 1 November.
- Visitors to Türkiye?
- Can use an exceptional token generated from passport details, without e-Devlet.
Sources: Av. Murat Aydar, summary of the regulation (Turkish). Hukuki Haber, the social network provider definition (Turkish).
Rules for ages 15 to 18
- The account is private by default and cannot be made public.
- Only accounts the child follows can message them. No read receipts.
- The account is not suggested to others and not matched with phone contacts.
- No live streaming.
- No infinite scroll or autoplay feed.
- No behavioural profiling or personalised ads.
- Technical measures against screenshots.
- Parental controls: settings, purchase approval and limits, time limits, location sharing.
Source: Av. Murat Aydar, summary of the regulation (Turkish).
What happens to a platform that does not comply?
The regulation does not close platforms; it sets obligations. Sanctions escalate in order.
- FineUp to 3% of the previous year's global turnover.
- Ad banIf not fixed within 30 days, companies in Türkiye may not place new ads on the platform.
- 50% bandwidth throttlingIf still not fixed within 3 months, by order of a criminal judgeship of peace.
- Up to 90% throttlingAfter another 30 days.
Throttling does not close an app, it slows it. What that looks like is on the Instagram, TikTok and X pages.
Source: Av. Murat Aydar, summary of the regulation (Turkish).
What AkcaVPN does, and does not
It does not get around age verification: the token is tied to the account, not the connection. But a platform that does not comply faces throttling, and Instagram, X and TikTok have been throttled or blocked in Türkiye many times before. On that day AkcaVPN opens the app: your traffic leaves Türkiye through an encrypted tunnel and the operator cannot see what you open.
- Download AkcaVPN. It runs on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows.
- Pick a location outside Türkiye and connect. If it is slow, try a stealth location.
- Close the app and open it again.
777 MB a day for free. No email, no card, no account; a 16-digit key signs you in.
Questions
What is the age limit?
15. Social network providers may not serve children who have not turned 15. The measure is the completed 15th birthday.
When does it start?
On 1 November 2026. Accounts opened after that date are verified at sign-up with a token generated on e-Devlet. Existing accounts must be verified at least once by 31 March 2027.
Which apps does it cover?
The regulation names no apps; it applies to social network providers as defined in Law 5651, platforms with more than one million daily accesses from Türkiye. Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and Facebook are at that scale. Game platforms have a separate article.
I'm under 15. Will my account be closed?
An account found to belong to someone under 15 is closed. If there is no objection the data is deleted; if there is one, it is kept until the objection is decided. Objections are free and reviewed by a person.
What do I have to hand over?
Nothing to any app: no ID, no e-Devlet password. You sign in to e-Devlet yourself and generate a token that only says whether you are over 15 and over 18. Details: e-Devlet age verification.
Can a VPN get around it?
This page does not cover that. The check is tied to the account, not the connection, and platforms have not said how they will tell which users are in Türkiye. For the legal side: Is a VPN legal in Türkiye?
How do I open a platform that gets throttled or blocked?
With AkcaVPN. Open the app, pick a location outside Türkiye, connect, then close the platform and open it again. Your traffic leaves Türkiye through an encrypted tunnel, so the operator cannot apply the block or the throttling. Download AkcaVPN, 777 MB a day for free.
Install it before the next block.
When a block comes, VPN websites get harder to reach too: BTK has blocked the sites and servers of many VPN services since 2023. Install AkcaVPN while everything works and connect once.
Journalists, activists and NGO workers can apply to our Emergency VPN Program for 3 months of free access.