Law No. 7578 on the Amendment of the Social Services Law and Certain Other Laws (“Amendment Law”), published in the Official Gazette dated 1 May 2026 and numbered 33240, introduced numerous regulations aimed at the protection of children, strengthening family-based care models, supporting working mothers, and enhancing social protection mechanisms for children.
In this context, the Amendment Law introduced employment and operation prohibitions for persons convicted of certain crimes with respect to workplaces where children are predominantly present, such as educational institutions, nurseries, children’s clubs, sports facilities and similar establishments. The Amendment Law further imposed new obligations on social network providers and gaming platforms regarding the establishment of age verification systems for the online protection of children, the provision of parental control tools, the delivery of segregated services specifically designed for children, and the restriction of access to certain content.
In addition, significant changes were made to labour and social security legislation, particularly regarding maternity leave and temporary incapacity allowance. The Amendment Law amended Article 74 of the Labor Law No. 4857 (“Labor Law”) and Article 104 of the Civil Servants Law No. 657 (“Civil Servants Law”) with respect to maternity leave periods, and restructured the maternity provisions regulated under the Social Insurance and General Health Insurance Law No. 5510 (“Social Insurance Law”); resulting in a significant increase in post-natal protection periods.
Comparative Table of Significant Changes to Leave Periods
| Common Changes to Maternity Leave and Working Periods under the Civil Servants Law and the Labour Law | ||
| Subject | Previous Regulation | New Regulation |
| Pre-natal maternity leave | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Post-natal maternity leave | 8 weeks | 16 weeks |
| Total maternity leave period | 16 weeks | 24 weeks |
| Period during which the employee may work before birth with doctor’s approval | Until the last 3 weeks before birth | Until the last 2 weeks before birth |
| Maternity leave period granted to one of the spouses adopting a child under three years of age | 8 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Leave in case of becoming a foster family for one or more children | No regulation existed | 10 days, upon request, after the handover of the child |
| Paid Leave Periods under the Labour Law and the Social Insurance Law | ||
| Subject | Previous Regulation | New Regulation |
| Period granted to the employee in case of marriage or adoption, or death of a parent, spouse, sibling or child | 3 days | 3 days |
| Paid leave in case of spouse’s delivery | 5 days | 10 days |
Transitional Provisions
Under the provisions of the Amendment Law regarding maternity leave periods and paid leave periods, personnel whose maternity leave period under the relevant legislation has expired but who have not yet completed the twenty-four-week period from the date of birth as of 1 April 2026 shall be granted an additional eight weeks of maternity leave. However, the granting of this additional leave is conditional upon the relevant employee submitting a request within 10 business days.
Effective Date
The majority of the regulations introduced under the Amendment Law entered into force on 1 May 2026. However, a six-month transition period has been provided for the obligations regarding the establishment of age verification systems and the provision of parental control tools for social network providers and gaming platforms for the online protection of children, which were added to Law No. 5651 on the Regulation of Publications on the Internet and Combating Crimes Committed by Means of Such Publications by the Amendment Law; the relevant provisions will enter into force on 1 November 2026.
