A subject that has been discussed for a long time in Turkey is now becoming a reality.
The government portal TÜIK have published statistics since 2021 based on surveys which were carried out where, young school going persons were surveyed about their social media usage, types of devices, the purpose of internet usage and digital gaming activities.
A report prepared by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure was discussed at parliament in the last few days and caused the button to be pressed.
According to the report, social media use has negative effects on children and young people.
After this report, work has begun to bring a 16-year age limit for social media use.
While the effects of social media on young people are increasingly being discussed, a ban on users under the age of 16 has come to the fore in Turkey.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure in their comprehensive report on this issue, detailed the negative effects of social media use on children and young people.
Türkiye Exceeds World Average
According to the report, social media usage in Turkey is well above the world average. While the daily social media usage time is calculated as 6.5 hours worldwide, this time is 7 hours in Turkey. 87 percent of the population in the country, approximately 75 million people, are social media users. The rate of those who use at least one social media platform is 77 percent.
The distribution of active social media users in Turkey by platform is as follows:
- Instagram: 58.4 million
- YouTube: 58.1 million
- WhatsApp: 52 million
- TikTok: 37.5 million
- Facebook: 34.5 million
- X (formerly Twitter): 21.7 million
- LinkedIn: 17 million
The Negative Impacts were the Focus of the Report
The report detailed the psychological, physiological and social effects of social media on children and young people. Uncontrolled use it was reported lead to:
- Increased tendency towards violence,
- It causes a feeling of loneliness and disconnection in social relationships,
- It leads to addiction and alienation from family members,
- It was emphasized that it increased family conflicts.
Many countries already impose restrictions, and Türkiye will be implementing them as well.
Some of these include:
- In China, children under 16 need parental permission to create social media accounts, and there is a ban on mobile device use and internet access between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- In the U.S., certain states have passed laws banning social media for children under 14, effective in 2025.
- In France, children under 15 need parental consent to use social media.
- In South Korea, online gaming is banned for children under 16 from midnight to 6 a.m.
- The U.K. limits online platform accounts for children under 13.
- In Russia, similar restrictions apply to children under 13.
- In Italy, children under 14 cannot own a mobile phone, and those under 16 are banned from opening social media profiles.
- In Australia, a social media ban exists for children under 14, with serious penalties for violators. A law for 16-year-olds is under development.
- Greece is also working on policies regarding children’s social media usage.
- In Ireland, discussions are ongoing about completely banning smartphone use for children under 16.
Ref: TURKSTAT corporate, anthaber.com, daily sabah.com
