The Turkish Parliament decided on Wednesday to ban children under 15 from accessing social media, LETA reports citing AFP and the state news agency Anadolu.
According to the adopted law, children under the age of 15 will be prohibited from creating accounts on social media. Social media platforms will be required to implement age verification systems, reports Turkish television channel NTV.
Turkey is following the example of similar bans or initiatives to limit the harmful influence of the internet on youth in other countries.
It is expected that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will sign this law, which was initiated by his Justice and Development Party (AKP). The law will come into effect six months after its publication in the official government bulletin.
Major social media platforms, having received a warning of an "emergency situation," will be required to respond within an hour by taking action against harmful content posted online, NTV reports.
Australia became the first country in December to ban individuals under 16 from using social media.
Proposals for similar bans have also been voiced in European Union (EU) countries, including Denmark, France, Greece, and Spain.
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