Important Regulations on Labor Law, Child Protection, and Digital Platforms Under the Bill Approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly
According to a news release published by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (“TBMM”) on April 22, 2026, significant regulations regarding labor law, child protection, and digital platforms have been adopted under the Bill Amending the Social Services Law and Certain Other Laws.
Under the amendments, various social rights and safeguard mechanisms have been expanded in the context of labor law. In this context, the duration of paid leave granted upon the birth of a spouse has been increased from 5 days to 10 days; the scope of maternity leave has been revised, extending the period covering illnesses and disabilities arising during the pre- and post-natal periods from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. Additionally, changes have been made to the conditions and duration of temporary disability benefits for certain insured groups. These regulations aim to strengthen social security rights related to the childbirth process.
Regarding the protection of children, provisions added to the Child Protection Law prohibit individuals with final convictions for certain serious crimes from working in workplaces where children are concentrated, operating such workplaces, or assuming roles within this scope. Additionally, the regulations stipulate that licenses shall not be issued to such individuals, and that existing businesses must regularly submit “fit-to-work” certificates for their employees to the employer. In this context, it is anticipated that periodic verification processes based on criminal records and archive data will be implemented for employers. The regulation is also significant in that it directly anchors activities related to the processing of criminal conviction data to a legal basis.
Under the regulations concerning digital platforms, new obligations have been introduced, particularly regarding the protection of child users. In this regard, age verification and parental control mechanisms have been made mandatory for users under the age of 15; for social media and gaming platforms, the separation of services targeting children, the establishment of age rating systems, and the implementation of measures against deceptive advertising have been mandated. In addition, obligations for platforms to appoint a local representative and provide information to the Information and Communications Technologies Authority (“BTK”) have been established; the BTK’s authorities regarding advertising bans, bandwidth throttling, and access procedures have been expanded.
When these changes are considered together, it is evident that a stricter and more systematic regulatory approach has been adopted regarding the protection of children, the obligations of digital platforms, and the supervisory authorities of public authorities. In particular, it is crucial for employers and digital platform service providers to update their internal processes and compliance mechanisms in line with these new obligations.