The launch event for YouTube Kids, YouTube's app dedicated to children, was held online in Turkey.
Speaking at the opening of the program, Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, stated in his speech at the meeting that children and young people are among the primary beneficiaries of the internet and related digital technologies, saying, "When we look at the research conducted, we see that globally, 1 out of every 3 internet users is under 18 years old. The fact that information technologies and the internet have become so easily accessible can create some negative effects, especially on children and young people, if not used consciously. We all have very important duties to minimize these effects."
Deputy Minister Sayan: Protecting Our Children from the Effects of Harmful Content is Extremely Important
Emphasizing that protecting children in the internet environment also means protecting their digital privacy, Sayan stated, "Protecting our children from the effects of harmful content is extremely important for their healthy development. This situation became much clearer during the pandemic process we are in. With the intensive use of social media, we have started to face many risks in the cyber world more frequently. All risk categories existing on the internet are situations that can also be encountered in real life."
Noting that we need to make the same effort to protect our children from dangers in real life in the internet environment as well, Sayan said, “While protecting our children, who are our future, from potential online threats, each of us has separate responsibilities. I believe that applications like YouTube Kids, which provide opportunities beneficial for our children and offer options, and which brought us together, are among the best examples."
President Karagözoğlu: The Increase in Time Spent in Front of Screens Makes Parental Control Difficult
Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, President of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, also stated that the increasing time children spend in front of screens makes parental control more difficult. Pointing out that this situation brings risks and dangers with it, Karagözoğlu said, "The possibility of malicious individuals' content reaching children increases. At this point, in addition to the measures to be taken by state institutions, technology companies, social media platforms, video sharing sites, and digital game companies need to develop new protective and educational measures for children according to the current situation and ensure that notifications about negative content children are exposed to can be made easily."
Emphasizing that parents need to be informed about protecting both their own and their children's security in internet environments, Karagözoğlu concluded his speech by saying, "Gaming habits should be controlled by parents and restrictions should be imposed. As an institution, making the online environment better in terms of both the content offered and security for everyone living in our country is among our important goals. In this regard, I would like it to be known that we support this step taken with YouTube for our children in our country to experience the internet better and that we are always by YouTube's side in similar studies."
BTİDER President Ömer Faruk Sorgun stated that they are doing their best to widespread the safe internet service provided by BTK. Sorgun said, "The security service provided by BTK has classified more than 12 million domain names over the 9-year period since it started and has evaluated the reports from our citizens and reached conclusions. Those who say 'freedom on the internet' must also prioritize the concept of respect on the internet."