Turkey Enacts Under-15 Social Media Ban, Europe Presses Platforms on Age Checks

Overview

• Turkey passed a law that bars under‑15s from signing up for social platforms, mandates age verification, gives parents tools to limit screen time and spending, requires one‑hour takedowns for harmful content in emergencies, and takes effect six months after official publication.
• Norway announced it will bring a bill to ban access for under‑16s, applying from January 1 of the year a teen turns 16, with tech companies responsible for checking users’ ages.
• In France, the Senate’s culture committee backed a two‑tier model that would ban services deemed harmful for under‑15s and require parental consent on others, a rewrite that could delay a hoped‑for September rollout.
• The European Commission introduced an age‑verification app in mid‑April to help people prove eligibility online and support national child‑safety rules.
• Governments cite child welfare risks while legal advisers warn absolute bans may clash with fundamental rights, driving divergent designs that still push Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and others to build reliable age checks and parental controls.