Turkish Parliament convenes commission on school safety and digital risks

The Turkish parliament’s research commission on school incidents in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş met under the chairmanship of AK Party Tokat MP Yusuf Beyazıt. Beyazıt said the commission will meet twice a week until the parliament recess at the end of July and will visit the Cyber Crime Department on Thursday. He cited recent incidents such as a teacher shot by a student in Istanbul and an injury case in Mersin.

Nilgün Demirci Celep, coordinator of the TEDMEM project, presented data showing a sharp rise in school‑related violence since 2015. TÜİK figures indicate half a million more children placed under security supervision and a 20‑year peak in child‑involved crime, with injuries accounting for about 40 % of offenses and most perpetrators being boys. Turkey ranks last among OECD countries in students’ perception of school safety; 18 % of 15‑year‑olds feel unsafe walking to school and 13 % feel unsafe in class. One in four Turkish students reports exposure to gangs or weapons.

Celep argued that physical security measures have limited effect and called for social‑emotional learning programs to build empathy and conflict‑resolution skills. She also noted that digital gaming alone does not drive crime, citing low violence rates in high‑gaming societies such as Japan, Korea, the Netherlands and Canada.

TEDMEM director Dr Sabiha Sunar suggested empowering children rather than imposing bans on digital media and even proposed a future requirement for an artificial‑intelligence license as a high‑school graduation condition. Prof Erdal Hamarta of the Turkish Psychological Counseling Association warned that violence involving persons under 18 has risen by up to 110 % over the past five years, a trend echoed by PISA data on bullying, loneliness and alienation among students.