Significant regulations are being implemented within the scope of the Law Proposal on Amendments to the Social Services Law and Certain Laws, which was debated in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). With the latest discussions in the TBMM, 9 more articles of the proposal were accepted. In this context, comprehensive and technical obligations have been introduced for both social media platforms and the gaming ecosystem.
With the new regulation, the concepts of "game," "game developer," "game distributor," and "game platform" are explicitly defined within a legal framework for the first time.
Social Media Ban for Under 15s
One of the most striking aspects of the regulation is the restrictions imposed on children. Accordingly, social network providers will not be able to directly offer services to users who have not completed 15 years of age. Platforms will be obliged to take all necessary technical measures, including age verification systems, to implement this rule.
A different model will be applied for users who have completed 15 years of age but are not yet adults. It will be mandatory to provide "segregated services" specifically for this age group. All measures taken in this regard will be transparently published on the platforms' own websites.
Parental Control Tools Become Mandatory
Another critical obligation for social media platforms with the new law is the implementation of parental control mechanisms. Platforms will be required to establish systems that allow for the monitoring of user accounts and link transactions such as purchases, rentals, and subscriptions to parental approval. At the same time, monitoring and limiting children's platform usage times will be among the core components of these tools. Furthermore, preventing deceptive advertisements has also been included in the responsibility of social network providers.
For social network providers with daily access exceeding 10 million from Turkey, the obligations are further tightened. Decisions for access blocking or content removal in urgent cases must be implemented within a maximum of 1 hour. Additionally, proactive measures will be required to prevent the re-publication of content deemed unlawful.
Advertising Ban and Bandwidth Throttling for Non-Compliant Platforms
The law also details the sanctions to be applied if obligations are not met. Platforms that fail to fulfill their obligations within 30 days despite administrative fines will be prohibited from advertising in Turkey. In this context, new contracts cannot be made, and financial transfers cannot be carried out.
If compliance is not achieved within 3 months following this process, the platform's internet bandwidth may be throttled first by 50%, then up to 90%. These decisions will be made by the criminal judgeship of peace and implemented by access providers within a maximum of 4 hours.
Gaming Regulation Also Enacted
The proposal also includes new regulations that directly cover gaming platforms. Accordingly, gaming platforms will not be able to directly offer content without age ratings. However, such content may be offered classified according to the highest age group.
A significant obligation has been introduced for foreign-sourced gaming platforms with daily access exceeding 100,000 from Turkey. These platforms will be required to maintain a representative in Turkey and report this representative's information to the BTK (Information and Communication Technologies Authority). The representative's contact information will also be easily accessible on the platform.
The BTK may request detailed information from gaming platforms regarding their corporate structure, information systems, and data processing procedures. This information must be submitted within a maximum of 15 days.
The sanctions for non-compliance with obligations are quite extensive. In the first stage, administrative fines ranging from 1 million TL to 10 million TL may be imposed, followed by fines from 10 million TL to 30 million TL. If the violation continues, the platforms' bandwidth may be throttled first by 30%, then up to 50%.
These comprehensive regulations for both social media and gaming platforms will come into force 6 months after the law is published in the Official Gazette. During this period, platforms will need to adapt their technical and administrative infrastructures to the new rules.
First Reaction from TOGED: "The Game Truly Begins Now"
The Turkish Game Developers Association (TOGED) emphasized that the process is a critical turning point for the sector in its statement after the regulation was accepted. It was stated that the process, shaped by months of discussions and strong reactions from the gaming community, contains significant gains, even if it does not meet all expectations.
The association reiterated its argument that the sector is mature enough to self-regulate, while also pointing out that the gaming sector has entered a new era in terms of both legal obligations and public perception. The statement also noted that the struggle on some issues, such as representation, will continue at the regulation stage, and a message was given that misconceptions about games will be combated, and the sector will continue to act in unity. TOGED stated, "Many of us might think 'this process is over, the law has passed.' But, as we like to say, the game truly begins now. Regardless of how you view the outcome, everyone must accept that no one can now call our sector 'unregulated, lawless, or rule-free.'"
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