Turkish court blocks Instagram account of influencer Özlem Öz

A court has ordered an access ban on the Instagram account of social media influencer Özlem Öz, which had approximately 4.3 million followers. The decision follows an intervention by the Ministry of Family and Social Services regarding content that violated the privacy and bodily integrity of a minor.

The Ministry reported that images and recordings of a young child during a circumcision procedure were shared on the platform. In its statement, the Ministry emphasized that the systematic conversion of a child's developmental, health-related, and private experiences into social media content poses serious risks to their privacy and personality rights.

The Ministry further clarified that parental rights do not grant unlimited authority over a child's privacy and bodily integrity, noting that “the best interests of the child must be observed” and that parental consent does not make privacy-violating posts lawful.