 is considering setting up a new regulatory body to oversee social media platforms, presenting the move as an effort to protect children and young people from online violence, drugs and criminal networks.){kind=link}
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is considering setting up a new regulatory body to oversee social media platforms, presenting the move as an effort to protect children and young people from online violence, drugs and criminal networks.
The proposal was discussed during a meeting of the party’s Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK), according to a report in the pro-government Türkiye newspaper on Thursday.
Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş delivered a presentation to senior party officials focusing what she described as the harmful effects of digital platforms on youths.
She claimed that current regulations in Turkey are insufficient and that taking no action is “not an option,” the report said.
Some MKYK members suggested creating a structure similar to Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), but focused specifically on social media and digital platforms.
Supporters said the new body could serve as an oversight authority for “digital media” and help combat content they claim targets children and threatens social values.
Turkey has already introduced sweeping internet regulations over the past decade, granting authorities broad powers to demand content removals, restrict access and require social media companies to appoint legal representatives in the country.
Press freedom advocates, however, have long warned that such measures are often used not only to address crime or protect minors but also to tighten government control over online speech.
Social media remains one of the few spaces where opposition voices can still reach large audiences in the country, in which 90 percent of the media is controlled by the government, according to Reporters without Borders (RSF).
RTÜK, cited as a possible model for the proposed regulator, has itself attracted criticism from opposition parties and international media rights groups, which accuse it of imposing politically motivated fines and bans on independent broadcasters while largely sparing pro-government outlets.
During the meeting party officials reportedly complained that obligations already imposed on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X have failed to produce results, with violent, sexual and drug-related content still easily accessible to minors.
The discussion also touched on the killing of 17-year-old Atlas Çağlayan in İstanbul, who was fatally stabbed by a 15-year-old earlier this month, an incident viewed by officials as part of a broader rise in youth violence and the influence of digital spaces.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quoted as saying that his government is conducting a comprehensive review and that steps would be taken both to increase deterrent penalties and strengthen preventive measures.
No official bill or timeline for establishing a new digital regulatory authority has been announced.
International watchdogs have ranked Turkey among the world’s most repressive environments for online expression, citing vague laws that enable arbitrary content bans and heavy pressure on foreign platforms to comply with government takedown orders.
Turkey was ranked the lowest-scoring country in Europe for online freedoms, according to a 2025 report from the Washington-based Freedom House.
The group gave Turkey a score of 31 out of 100 and classified the country as “not free.”