Turkey's Parliament launches commission on school attacks and digital risks

The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) established the "Research Commission on the Causes of School Attacks" to examine the recent incidents in Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa and the broader problem of child violence and cyber‑bullying. The commission, chaired by AK Party MP Yusuf Beyazıt, held a joint session with civil‑society groups including the Istanbul Family Foundation, the Sociology Association, the Turkish Psychiatric Association, Yeşilay and HUDER.

Experts highlighted that school violence is not an isolated phenomenon but is linked to structural issues such as weakened school belonging, social inequality, insufficient adult supervision in the digital age, and the spread of harassment through social media, online games and closed groups. Prof. Dr. Nilay Kaya noted that "approximately one in six school‑aged children experiences cyber‑bullying" and warned that the lack of a unified national monitoring system, fragmented institutional responsibility and inadequate parental support exacerbate the problem.

Commission members called for a coordinated policy framework that integrates schools, families, media platforms and law‑enforcement, and urged stricter obligations for digital platforms to protect children. They also reported that 82.9 % of the public believes digital media harms children and that current child‑protection laws exist but suffer from poor inter‑agency coordination. A follow‑up meeting with global social‑media companies is scheduled for 16 July.