President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that addictions of all kinds have increased dramatically and said, “Youth are increasingly falling into this spiral of trouble due to the influence of social networks.” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the “TRT Young Channel Opening Event” at Beştepe National Congress and Cultural Center.
President Erdoğan's statement is as follows:
I am very happy to welcome our young people here on the occasion of the opening of our TV channel TRT Genç. I hope that TRT Genç, which started broadcasting today, will bring benefits to the media and our country.
TRT, which is both the memory and the future of Türkiye, has witnessed many historical events. We also followed Türkiye and the world on TRT. TRT has an indispensable place in our lives in every field. Our generation and the generation after us all grew up with TRT. TRT today is still undertaking an extremely important mission. TRT, which fights for truth in the most powerful way, stands before us as a set of national values against cultural corruption.
One of the battlegrounds of the culture war is the family. Today, the family institution is under serious attack and siege. Twisted relationships are encouraged with carefully placed characters in everything from TV series to movies to anime to games. For us, TRT's success is producing products that every member of the family can watch with peace of mind.
“THERE IS SERIOUS GROWTH”
Types of addiction are seriously increasing, especially virtual betting, gambling and drugs. Our youth are increasingly falling into the spiral of these troubles due to the influence of digital platforms and social networks. Gamification strategies have turned almost every phone into some kind of casino.
Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling and virtual betting have reached levels that are as harmful or even more harmful than terrorism to our national body. This is the bitter truth that those who try to paint gambling as innocent on group platforms and say they will sell cheaper alcohol when they come to power fail to see it. This is a situation that those fighting to exonerate poison dealers do not want to encounter. We see this. We are aware of the danger. We are extremely committed to fighting all types of addiction. Our judicial and security forces are doing what is necessary. Safety measures alone are not enough to overcome addiction. We must act with a spirit of mobilization.
WATER PROBLEM IN ANKARA
Millions of our citizens in Ankara have been suffering from thirst for weeks. People lined up to get water. Families stand guard over the fountain for hours to meet their most basic needs. We are sad and ashamed to witness scenes that are not suitable for Türkiye in 2026. There are news that the media cannot ignore. Our public interest media have also reported on this issue. The media was forced to act. As a result, even though they cannot completely solve the problem, they still have to get up from their comfortable seats and speak before our people. Instead of apologizing, he blamed AA, TRT and the free press for reporting on the issue. They cover up each other's flaws. We need to ask the following about the incompetence that is trying to close the capacity gap by cracking down on crime. Who forced people to stack water cans on a cold night, or who made the accusation? The job of the press is to monitor regulators on behalf of the public and bring citizens' issues to the screen. Why are you bothered by this? Why do you blame our media organizations?
When it comes to speech, we believe that our citizens also see how those who do not hesitate regarding freedom of the press suddenly turn to fascism. We will continue to support our media organizations.
