Supreme Court Allows Texas to Enforce App Store Age Verification Law

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The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to block a Texas law requiring app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before minors can download apps or make in-app purchases. Tech and student groups claim that the law violates First Amendment free speech protections.

The decision, issued through the court’s emergency docket, allows Texas to enforce Senate Bill 2420, the App Store Accountability Act, while the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers the ongoing constitutional challenge. The Supreme Court gave no explanation for its decision and recorded no dissent.

The law requires app store operators to determine whether users are under 18 and, for minors, secure approval from a parent or guardian before downloads or paid in-app activity. App developers must also classify their products by age suitability, including categories for children under 13, those aged 13-15, those aged 16-17, and adults over 18.

The law has been challenged in parallel lawsuits by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and by Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), joined by two teenage app users. The SEAT lawsuit argues that the measure restricts access to protected speech, including educational, artistic, and journalistic content, while also forcing users to hand over sensitive personal data before accessing digital services. 

Texas argues the law protects children from harmful online content and exploitation, giving parents greater control over minors’ app use.

The measure had been blocked in December by a federal judge, who found that it likely violated the First Amendment. Texas appealed, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later allowed the law to take effect while the case continues.