Turkey bans social media for children under 15

Turkey's parliament has passed a law banning the use of social media by children under the age of 15, Reuters reports.

Under the new legislation, online platforms will be required to verify users' ages — anyone under 15 will not be allowed to use their services.

• Companies that own social networks will also be required to provide parental control tools and respond promptly to "harmful" content, Al Jazeera notes.
• Platforms with large user bases will have to appoint a local representative in Turkey, Reuters writes. Services that fail to comply will face fines and access restrictions inside the country.
• The law also covers gaming platforms. Parliament has required games to be classified by age rating.

Turkey is also considering restricting internet access for citizens under 18, along with a possible ban on VPN services.

Local media previously reported on plans to roll out dedicated children's SIM cards with built-in filters for unwanted content, following a series of armed incidents involving children and teenagers.