The age and content icons that appear in the corner of Turkish screens are popularly called “smart signs” (akıllı işaretler). That phrase does not appear in the legislation. The term Law No. 6112 uses is protective symbol and protective symbol system. This is not pedantry: the limits of the legal duty are set by the statute’s own term.
The statutory definition
Article 3/1(j) defines a protective symbol as “common symbols used by media service providers for the purpose of informing viewers about the content of a broadcasting service”. The word “common” matters — the aim is a shared sector-wide system, not each channel inventing its own icon.
The duty: Article 24
| Paragraph | Rule |
|---|---|
| Art. 24/1 | Media service providers shall inform viewers about the content of their programme services audibly or in writing, using a protective symbol system. |
| Art. 24/2 | The procedures and principles concerning the protective symbol system shall be determined by the Supreme Council. |
| Art. 24/3 | This article shall also apply to the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation. |
The phrase “audibly or in writing” in Article 24/1 is often overlooked. The duty is not merely to place an icon on screen; the fact that information may be given by audible means shows that radio broadcasts are not outside the scope.
The categories are not in the statute
What people most want to know — which age groups exist and which icons are used — is not regulated in the Law. Article 24/2 expressly leaves it to secondary regulation. RTUK’s power is repeated in Article 37/1(ğ): “to determine the procedures and principles concerning the protective symbol system to be included in the broadcasting services of media service providers”.
A symbol does not lift the ban
This is the most misunderstood aspect. The 2017 amendment to Article 8/2 settled it. The paragraph now reads: “In radio and television broadcasting services, programmes containing content that may harm the physical, mental or moral development of children and young people shall not be broadcast during time slots when they may watch them, even if a protective symbol is used.”
Decree Law 690 of 17 April 2017 replaced the phrase “without using a protective symbol” with “even if a protective symbol is used”, and the provision was enacted as it stood by Article 50 of Law No. 7077 of 1 February 2018. Before the amendment, placing a symbol legitimised the broadcast; today it does not. The symbol’s function is confined to informing viewers within an appropriate time slot.
A different duty for on-demand services
Article 8/3 asks more of on-demand providers than a symbol: they are obliged to ensure that broadcasting services capable of adversely affecting the physical, mental or moral development of children and young people are offered in such a way that those persons would not normally hear or see them. That is access control, not scheduling.
Sanctions
Breaches of Article 24 and Article 8/2 are not among the grave sub-paragraphs in Article 32/1, so they fall under Article 32/2: one to three per cent of gross commercial communication revenue, subject to the floor of TRY 1,000 for radio and TRY 10,000 for television and on-demand services. Under Article 32/8 RTUK may issue a warning instead of a fine, once for each breach falling under that paragraph.
TRT is covered too
Article 24/3 says so in one sentence: “This article shall also apply to the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation.” The protective symbol is not a burden peculiar to private broadcasters. Article 45/1 further provides that the broadcasting principles in Article 8 and the provisions governing commercial communication also apply to TRT broadcasts.
Why a symbol is not enough on its own is covered in the protective symbol guide and the scheduling rule in the watershed guide.