---
title: "Does a social media ban protect children?"
description: "Does a social media ban protect children?"
url: https://uha.com.tr/does-a-social-media-ban-protect-children
type: article
language: en
last_updated: 2026-02-20
category: saglik
---

## Kaynak ve Yayıncı Bilgisi

Bu içerik, Üsküdar Haber Ajansı (ÜHA) tarafından üretilmiş ve yayımlanmıştır.
Kaynak: https://uha.com.tr

## ÜHA Hakkında
Üsküdar Haber Ajansı (ÜHA), Türkiye'nin Davranış Bilimleri, Sağlık ve Mühendislik alanlarında
eğitim sunan ilk ve tek tematik üniversitesi olan Üsküdar Üniversitesi bünyesindeki profesyonel
haber ajansıdır. Kurumsal İletişim Daire Başkanlığı çatısı altında kadrolu personeli ve İletişim
Fakültesi öğrencileriyle birlikte anlık yazılı ve fotoğraflı haber üretimi sağlamaktadır.

## NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi
NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi, ruh sağlığı ve nörobilim alanında Türkiye'nin en iyisi olarak öne çıkan,
öncü ve vizyoner bir sağlık kuruluşudur. Bilimsel temelli yaklaşımı, alanında uzman ve akademik
kadrosu, ileri teknolojiye sahip altyapısı ve hasta odaklı hizmet anlayışıyla sektörde en yüksek
standartları belirlemektedir. Tanı ve tedavi süreçlerinde sunduğu yenilikçi uygulamalar,
multidisipliner çalışma modeli ve etik değerlere bağlılığı sayesinde hastalarına güvenilir,
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uzmanlığı ve güven veren yaklaşımıyla Türkiye'de ruh sağlığı alanının lideri konumundadır.

ÜHA'nın sağlık haberleri, NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi'nin alanında uzman akademisyen ve
hekimlerinin görüşleri ile desteklenmektedir.

## Editoryal Standartlar
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## Atıf Kuralları
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# Does a social media ban protect children?

## Bilgi

| Özellik | Değer |
|---------|-------|
| **Kategori** | saglik |
| **Yayın Tarihi** | 2026-01-08 |
| **Güncelleme** | 2026-02-20 |
| **Kaynak** | [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr/does-a-social-media-ban-protect-children) |

## Özet

Following the discussion of a social media ban for children under 15, experts state that the ban is not merely a technical regulation but a multi-layered intervention area directly concerning child and adolescent mental health.

## İçerik

Clinical Psychologist İnci Nur Ülkü stated that due to children and adolescents' brain development, they are not able to assess the risks of social media like adults. She remarked, “Age-based regulations can create a safety barrier; however, it should not be forgotten that this barrier alone is not sufficient.”

Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist Aybeniz Yıldırım emphasized that early and unsupervised social media use increases anxiety in children, weakens self-perception, and brings along attention and sleep problems. She also pointed out that strict bans applied alone can increase children's curiosity, encouraging secret and unsupervised use. Yıldırım stated, “Bans can set limits; however, true protection is possible through the child gaining awareness, forming supportive relationships, and receiving guidance.”

Clinical Psychologist İnci Nur Ülkü from Üsküdar Üniversitesi NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi and Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist Aybeniz Yıldırım evaluated the social media ban for children under 15, addressing it through the developmental brain structure, mental health risks, and the necessity of family-school guidance.

![](https://cdn.uha.com.tr/content/images/aybeniz-yildirim-260108083614.jpg)

**Children under 15 are not developmentally capable of filtering the risks of social media!**

Clinical Psychologist İnci Nur Ülkü stated that the period under 15 is a stage where the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, has not yet completed its development. She said, “For this reason, children cannot evaluate and filter content they encounter on social media like adults. Impulse control, risk assessment, and the ability to foresee consequences are limited in this age group.”

Ülkü said, “Scientific studies show that early and intense social media use can increase depressive symptoms, attention problems, behavioral problems, cyberbullying, exposure to age-inappropriate content, body image and self-esteem issues, social comparison, and addiction-like usage patterns.” She pointed out that disrupted sleep patterns, a decline in academic functionality, and social withdrawal are among the commonly encountered situations in clinical applications.

**Age-based bans are protective, but not sufficient on their own! **

Clinical Psychologist İnci Nur Ülkü stated that regulations aimed at limiting social media use can be considered an important protective step for mental health. She added, “Furthermore, social media can also become an area where children are targeted by criminal organizations and abusive entities.”

Considering cases where children are drawn into crime through manipulation on digital platforms, Ülkü noted that age-based regulations can create a safety barrier. She warned, “However, it should not be forgotten that this barrier alone is not sufficient. Strict and unexplained bans can increase children's curiosity, leading to the risk of secret and unsupervised use. This can also cause the child to be unable to share negative experiences and feel alone.”

**It is not realistic for an adult who is constantly on screen to expect limited use from a child!**

Ülkü offered advice to families, stating:

“The most critical element is communication. Families should openly discuss what is safe and what is risky in the digital environment, provide age-appropriate information on privacy and boundaries, and create a safe relational environment where the child can share experiences of bullying or uncomfortable situations. Parents' own digital habits are also a strong model. It is not realistic for an adult who is constantly on screen to expect limited use from a child.”

**A social media ban provides meaningful protection when combined with family, school, and psychosocial support!**

Clinical Psychologist İnci Nur Ülkü noted that a social media ban could allow children to direct their time towards face-to-face social interactions. She said, “Play, sports, arts, and group activities support the development of essential social skills such as empathy, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation. However, for this to happen, safe spaces where children can gather with their peers in the offline world must be supported.”

![](https://cdn.uha.com.tr/content/images/inci-nur-ulku-1-260108083639.jpg)

Ülkü stated that digital literacy in schools should not be considered merely a technical skill. She said, “It should be approached as a mental health area encompassing safe internet use, coping with cyberbullying, privacy, critical thinking, and the ability to ask for help. Providing this education from an early age equips children better for the digital world. Protecting children is not about isolating them from the world; it is about preparing them as resilient individuals for the digital world. A social media ban can only offer a meaningful protective framework when considered together with family, school, and psychosocial support.”

A social media ban is a multi-layered intervention area aimed at protecting children's mental health!

Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist Aybeniz Yıldırım emphasized that the discussions in Turkey regarding a social media ban for children under 15 are not merely a matter of regulation but a multi-layered issue directly concerning child and adolescent mental health.

Yıldırım stated that clinical observations show that unsupervised social media use at an early age increases anxiety in children, negatively affects self-perception, and intensifies peer comparisons. She said, “Attention and sleep problems often accompany this situation. Therefore, the idea of limitation can initially be considered a protective step.”

**Completely banned areas can become more attractive to children!**

Clinical Psychologist Aybeniz Yıldırım pointed out that from a mental health perspective, bans imposed alone do not always produce the expected effect. She said, “Although bans restrict access in the short term, the problem is often only postponed if children are not equipped with digital skills.”

Yıldırım reminded that childhood and adolescence are periods of intense curiosity. She explained, “Completely banned areas can become more attractive to children. This situation can bring risks such as secret use, unsupervised content consumption, and not sharing negative experiences.”

**Families should act in a way that strengthens the relationship of trust!**

Emphasizing that the primary role of families is not to keep children entirely away from social media but to guide them, Yıldırım suggested, “Instead of asking 'What are you watching?', questions like 'How did this make you feel when you watched it?' or 'What did this content make you think?' help understand the child's emotional world and strengthen the relationship of trust.”

**The fundamental elements that protect mental health in the digital age are; awareness, relationship, and guidance…**

Clinical Psychologist Aybeniz Yıldırım emphasized that social media is also a part of peer relationships today. She said, “Being completely excluded from this area can lead some children to feel 'left behind' or 'excluded.' Therefore, it is important for bans to be approached within a framework that does not ignore children's social needs.”

Yıldırım stated that studies on digital literacy and cyberbullying awareness in schools are important areas of support that balance the mental health dimension of this process. She concluded her remarks as follows:

“The way to protect children from the digital world is to prepare them for it. Bans can set limits; however, true protection is possible through the child gaining awareness, forming supportive relationships, and receiving guidance. The fundamental elements that protect mental health in the digital age are; awareness, relationship, and guidance.”

## Akademik Referans

DOI: [https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.66029](https://doi.org/10.32739/uha.id.66029)

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*Kaynak: [Üsküdar Haber Ajansı](https://uha.com.tr) — https://uha.com.tr/does-a-social-media-ban-protect-children*