Key facts
- The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed Texas to enforce its age verification law for app stores.
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed Texas to enforce its age verification law for app stores while legal challenges proceed. The law requires app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent for minors.
The Supreme Court's decision allows Texas to enforce a law requiring age verification for app downloads, impacting how minors access digital content and potentially setting a precedent for similar legislation nationwide.
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed Texas to enforce its age verification law for app stores while legal challenges proceed. The decision means the state can implement the law, which requires app stores and developers to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent for purchases, as a court case continues.
Previously, an appeals court reinstated the law after a federal judge had temporarily paused it. Youth advocacy group Students Engaged in Advancing Texas and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which includes Apple, Google, and Meta among its members, are challenging the law. They argue it restricts children's access to tools for free speech.
These groups had asked the Supreme Court for an emergency ruling to block the law during the ongoing litigation. Their request was supported by an amicus brief filed by 27 state attorneys general, led by Florida's James Uthmeier. Attorneys from Paxton’s office argued that the law protects children from “dangerous modern products.”
Matt Schruers, president of the CCIA, stated the organization anticipates an expedited hearing in early August before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to argue that the law violates the First Amendment.
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