The Family and Social Services Ministry of Turkey is proposing a new law targeting gaming platforms, including Steam and Epic Games, as part of broader efforts to limit children’s access to social media. If passed, companies that do not comply with information requests within five days could face significant fines and up to a 90% reduction in bandwidth.

The proposed laws could enforce mandatory regulations that require gaming platforms of a certain size to have a physical presence in Turkey for easier compliance. These rules may also lead to rigorous scrutiny of their operation, forcing transparency on sensitive information such as corporate structures and algorithms. As stated in the provision, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) would have the power to demand this data in a bid for control over content that is accessible to minors.

Critics argue that this is another instance of authoritarian control under the guise of protecting children, reminiscent of similar regulatory trends seen in various countries globally, where child safety is often used to justify restrictions on free expression and information access. Legislative bodies have been accused of employing excessive measures that undermine civil liberties, thus raising concerns among digital rights advocates.