Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan threatened to punish Turkish media for distributing content that harms the country's "fundamental values" in a notice published in the Official Gazette.

The notice mentions measures needed to maintain the country's "national culture" and prevent "negative impact on children due to exposure to harmful content" in all forms of media, Time Türk reported.

The Turkish leader's decree states that "necessary measures must be taken to protect (families, children and youth) from harmful media content." He called on authorities to take "legal measures" against the "destructive impact" of certain media content, without disclosing what that would entail.

Critics said it was another attempt to suppress free speech in the run-up to next year's elections.

Faruk Bildirici, veteran journalist and media ombudsman, accused Erdogan of declaring a "state of emergency against the media."

Human rights organizations regularly accuse Turkish authorities of undermining media freedom by arresting journalists and shutting down critical media outlets, especially after Erdogan survived a failed coup attempt in July 2016.

Erdogan's government plans to increase its crackdown on social media, citing what it calls fake news and disinformation.

His government is currently drafting a bill that would punish "fake news, disinformation, and provocation" violations on social media with fines and up to five years in prison.

Freedom House called Turkey "unfree" in its 2021 World Freedom Index. The organization said the government has continued to expand its attempts to control online news and information sources.