How does Türkiye protect children from social risks through the “digital shield”? | family

Since the school violence incident in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye has witnessed an increasing discussion about the dangers of the digital space to children, which prompts the strengthening of government policies to regulate this field and protect vulnerable groups.

The concept of the “digital shield” emerges as a new protection framework that relies on monitoring tools and social data to monitor risks early, with the aim of combining the role of the state and the family to reduce social threats.

The Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services, Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, explains to the Yeni Safak newspaper that, with the use of social media restricted for those under the age of 15, Türkiye has created a digital shield for families.

While the age for obtaining a driver’s license or the right to vote is 18 years, the average age for accessing social media is 6 years, according to Goktas.

Danger in our house

In the past, danger lurked in the street, but today, as the minister explains, the real danger is inside the rooms of our homes, because phones are now available to everyone.

Goktas summarizes the most prominent digital challenges as monitored by the Ministry as follows:

• Most children spend between 3 to 5 hours a day on platforms.
• Children’s attention span is reduced to only about 8 seconds.
• The biggest danger is the abolition of age barriers, as some children think they are playing with their peers, when in reality they are facing adults.
• Children prefer more violent characters in games, and while these characters give children false self-confidence, the obsession with obtaining views pushes them towards social isolation.

The Minister also stresses the need to declare a community alert to protect children digitally, adding: “We cannot leave our children in the middle of a dark hallway.”

Risk prevention

With the aim of early monitoring of risks, the Ministry has been working for a year and a half on a map of social risks by analyzing social, economic and psychological indicators to create assessment points for social risks at the state, neighborhood and household levels.

These maps work as an early warning system to monitor phenomena such as violence against women and child delinquency with the aim of early intervention, with the Ministry tracking the results of the maps through the “Family Guide” systems for adults and the “Children are Safe” systems for children.

Goktas also points out the signing of a project supported by artificial intelligence with the Presidency of Turkish Defense Industries, with the aim of real-time monitoring of institutions such as rehabilitation centers and child care homes, activating an early warning system in negative cases, and managing security risks.