Providing information to the Peer Bullying Sub-Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Deputy Chairman of the Information Technologies and Communications Authority, Abdülkerim Gün, noted that in the US state of Florida, the use of social media by children under the age of 13 is prohibited, and in Australia, the restrictive regulation for children under the age of 16 is about to be enacted.
SOCIAL MEDIA BAN IS COMING FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 13
He said that as BTK, they are working on an amendment to the Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Publications Made on the Internet and Combating Crimes Committed through These Publications, in order to prohibit access to social media applications and social networks to those under the age of 13 in Turkey. Gün said, “We are currently working on a study to ban access to social media applications and social networks for students under the age of 13, that is, secondary school children, that is, students who have completed the middle four, for the regulation numbered 5651, and we will make a suggestion.”
According to the news of Önder Yılmaz from Sabah, Gün stated that Turkey has made significant progress in digital games and that they will organize a Digital Games Congress next week. Stating that they carried out a 9-month study with non-governmental organizations regarding digital games, Gün said, “As a public, our first motto was to make a local application, but this local application will remain only in Turkey, but it will be added to the PEGI (European Game Information System) appropriate for Turkey.” “There were serious opinions that it would be more efficient if a ‘case’ was opened, and we are currently working on this issue,” he said.
LIMITATION ON SMARTPHONE USE
Eda Şirnevai, Head of the Protective and Preventive Services Department of the General Directorate of Children’s Services, announced that they are working together with the Turkish Grand National Assembly to limit the use of smartphones by children under the age of 13. Making a presentation to the commission, academician Prof. Dr. Tuncay Dilci stated that smartphones are banned for children under the age of 13 in many countries and suggested that a similar practice be brought to the agenda in Turkey. Meanwhile, Department Head Şirnevai said, “We are working on this with the GNAT Child Rights Commission.”
Prof. Dr. Dilci also suggested, “If the child has a security weakness or problem, push-button phones should be used for security and communication purposes for these children.”
WORLD EXAMPLES WERE EXAMINED
It was revealed that the Ministry of Family and Social Services examined world examples regarding children’s use of social media and social networks. According to the information given by Department Head Şirnevai, some of the world examples are as follows:
“In China, children under the age of 16 are required to open a social media account with parental permission. In China, access to mobile devices and the internet is also prohibited between 22.00 and 06.00.
- In some states in the USA, a law banning the use of social media for people under the age of 14 has been approved. It will be valid from 2025.
- In France, those under the age of 15 require parental permission to access social media.
- In South Korea, online gaming is prohibited between 24.00 and 06.00 at night for children under the age of 16.
- In the UK, people under the age of 13 are limited to opening accounts on online platforms.
- In Russia, people under the age of 13 are limited to opening accounts on online platforms.
- In Italy, people under the age of 14 are prohibited from owning a mobile phone and those under the age of 16 are prohibited from creating profiles on social media.
- In Australia, there is a social media ban for people under the age of 14. Serious penalties and sanctions are imposed on those who do not comply with the ban. Law studies are being carried out for 16 year olds.
- Greece is conducting a study on children’s use of social media.
- A complete ban on the use of smartphones by those under the age of 16 is being discussed in Ireland.