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Turkiye MPs pass bill to restrict social media use for children under 15

Turkiye MPs pass bill to restrict social media use for children under 15

Lawmakers pass bill to require social media platforms to introduce age-verification tools and control mechanisms. Published On 23 Apr 202623 Apr 2026 Turkish MPs have passed a bill that includes restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15, according to state media. The legislation is the latest in a global trend aimed at protecting young people from dangerous online activity, following in the footsteps of Australia, which introduced landmark restrictions on social media use last year. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The bill’s adoption in Turkiye comes a week after a 14-year-old boy killed nine students and a teacher in a gun attack at a middle school in Kahramanmaras in southern Turkiye. Police are investigating the online activity of the perpetrator, who also died, in a bid to uncover his motivation for the attack. The bill would force social media platforms to install age‑verification systems, provide parental control tools and require companies to rapidly respond to content deemed harmful, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now has 15 days to approve the bill for it to become law. He spoke in the wake of the Kahramanmaras killings of the need to mitigate the online risks to children’s safety and privacy. “We are living in a period where some digital sharing applications are corrupting our children’s minds, and social media platforms have, to put it bluntly, become cesspools,” he said in a televised address on Monday. The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has criticised the proposal, saying children should be protected “not with bans but with rights-based policies”. Mandatory measures Under the law, digital platforms – such as YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram – would have to block children under 15 from opening accounts and introduce parental controls that would manage children’s access. Advertisement Online gaming companies will also be required to appoint a representative in Turkiye to ensure they abide by the new regulations. Potential penalties include internet bandwidth reductions and fines imposed by Turkiye’s communications watchdog. The Turkish government has been criticised by the opposition for restricting online platforms when used as a means of expressing dissent. Online communications were widely restricted during last year’s protests in support of Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. Restrictions on social media access for children under 16 first began in December in Australia, where social media companies revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children. Last month, Indonesia began implementing a new government regulation banning children younger than 16 from access to digital platforms that could expose them to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and addiction. Other countries – including Spain, France and the United Kingdom – are also taking or considering measures to restrict children’s access to social media amid growing concern that they are being harmed by exposure to unregulated social media content. Adblock test (Why?)

Warner Bros shareholders approve Paramount’s takeover

Warner Bros shareholders approve Paramount’s takeover

Attention now turns to regulatory authorities, with both Washington and London expected to examine the merger’s impact on competition. By AP and Reuters Published On 23 Apr 202623 Apr 2026 Warner Bros Discovery shareholders have backed the company’s proposed $110bn merger with Paramount Skydance, but cast an advisory vote against executive compensation plans tied to the deal. Per a preliminary vote count on Thursday, the overwhelming majority of Warner Bros Discovery shareholders voted in support of selling the entire business to Paramount for $31 a share, the company said. Including debt, the deal is valued at nearly $111bn. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Under the pay packages proposed to executives, CEO David Zaslav could receive up to $887m if the sale is completed. Skydance-owned Paramount wants to buy all of Warner. That means HBO Max, valuable titles like Harry Potter and even CNN could soon find themselves under the same roof with CBS, Top Gun and the Paramount+ streaming service. A greenlight from company shareholders increases the likelihood of that becoming a reality. Attention now turns to regulatory authorities, with both Washington and London expected to examine the merger’s impact on competition. The United States Department of Justice sent subpoenas in late March seeking information on how the merger would affect studio output, content rights, streaming competition and movie theatres. Paramount triumphed over Netflix in a months-long bidding war, sealing the Warner Bros deal and cementing chief executive David Ellison as a powerful force in the rapidly contracting entertainment landscape. The merger has faced considerable opposition from actors, filmmakers and theatre groups that have raised concerns about the loss of a major studio and its impact on the creative community, theatre owners and moviegoers. Advertisement “Shareholder approval marks another important milestone towards completing our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery,” a Paramount spokesperson said. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter this year. The merger will reduce the number of major US film studios to four and lead to fewer jobs, creative opportunities and less choice for consumers, over 4,000 film industry professionals and consumers said in an open letter, which called on California Attorney General Rob Bonta to consider taking legal action to block it. Ellison promised theatre owners that Paramount and Warner Bros would release at least 30 films a year if regulators clear the deal. However, analysts expect Hollywood’s overall film output to contract, as theatre attendance declines and the major studios focus on fewer, big-budget films. Adblock test (Why?)

Journalist recalls Israeli strike killing Amal Khalil in southern Lebanon

Journalist recalls Israeli strike killing Amal Khalil in southern Lebanon

NewsFeed Journalist Zainab Faraj recalled the final moments of fellow journalist Amal Khalil. An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed Amal and caused severe injuries to Zainab, who spoke from her hospital bed. Israel has killed at least five people in its recent attacks on Lebanon. Published On 23 Apr 202623 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)