Turkish authorities are mulling new measures to protect children from dangerous online content after the country was shaken last week by two separate school shootings.
According to local media reports, Türkiye’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority is seeking to limit children’s access to games and other online material that could be seen as promoting violence or other harmful behaviour.
The reports come in the wake of two separate school shootings in south-eastern Türkiye that left nine people dead and more than two dozen injured, including both teachers and students.
Investigations have since revealed that the two perpetrators - a 14-year-old student and a 19-year-old former student - had both been active players of violent games online, raising concerns about the effect of such content on young users.
In an effort to restrict access to potentially harmful content, authorities are reportedly considering a ban on the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by minors.
According to officials, VPN services operating in Türkiye may be made subject to licensing requirements, thereby preventing minors from accessing content that would otherwise be blocked.
Authorities are also considering the introduction of a mobile phone subscription category specifically designed for users under 18, which would feature enhanced content-filtering options.
In a related development, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into a popular Turkish-language YouTube channel amid concerns that its content may promote violence.
Officials allege that some of the material featured on the channel could be seen as normalising harmful or anti-social behaviour, particularly among children.
With more than 7.5 million subscribers, the channel - called “Minecraft Parodileri” - has since been temporarily blocked in Türkiye in line with a court order.
The Istanbul prosecutor’s office is now in the process of reviewing other popular social media channels that may also be seen as encouraging violence.
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