Turkey’s data protection watchdog has opened a review of how six major social media platforms process children’s personal data, as Ankara prepares separate legislation that would tighten state control over online accounts and content.

The Personal Data Protection Authority said the Personal Data Protection Board decided to launch an ex officio review of TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X and Discord. The authority said the review will examine how children’s personal data is processed on the platforms and what safeguards are in place, citing the “best interests of the child” and the need to protect children from risks in digital environments.

The move comes as the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is expected to submit a draft “family package” bill to parliament in the coming days that would introduce new rules for social media accounts, including identity verification and age restrictions.

The proposal would require social media platforms to verify users’ identities through phone numbers or integration with the government’s e-Devlet digital services system. Children under 15 would be barred from opening accounts, and additional technical or biometric restrictions could be introduced for users under 18.

The reported draft would also create a mechanism allowing authorities to order the rapid removal of content deemed illegal without waiting for a court ruling. Platforms that fail to comply with verification or removal requirements could face penalties that include phased reductions in internet bandwidth, a measure regulators have used in previous enforcement actions against social media companies.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has defended identity verification, arguing that anonymous accounts contribute to online harassment, defamation and attempts to influence judicial proceedings and that linking accounts to verified identities would make users legally accountable for their posts.

Rights advocates say mandatory identity verification could reshape online speech in Turkey. Kerem Altıparmak, a legal scholar with the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), said that requiring identity verification for all users would amount to what he described as a “radical restriction” on internet freedom and raised questions about proportionality. He also warned that addressing anonymous accounts operated from abroad could lead to broader access restrictions that would narrow online debate inside Turkey.

Turkey has expanded state oversight of the internet since a failed coup in 2016, passing laws that increased the government’s power to block websites, require platforms to remove content and obligate major social media companies to maintain a local legal presence. Rights groups say the measures have strengthened the government’s ability to control online content and pursue investigations tied to social media activity.