The U.S. Supreme Court on July 6, 2026 refused to block Texas’s App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420), declining to reinstate a lower-court injunction and allowing the state to require app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors. Two First Amendment challenges remain pending, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled an expedited hearing for August.<\/p>\n
The unsigned orders came with no noted dissents. As a result, Texas can now require proof of age for all app store users before they can download apps or make in-app purchases.<\/p>\n
SB 2420 requires app stores operated by companies such as Apple and Google to verify the age of every user and obtain parental consent for anyone under 18 before allowing downloads or in-app payments. Adults must also present a government ID or other age verification to distinguish themselves from minors. The law applies to all apps regardless of content.<\/p>\n
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the law on May 27, 2025. Enforcement was originally set for January 1, 2026, but a federal judge blocked the measure in December 2025. The Fifth Circuit lifted that block in May 2026, ruling that the law likely survives intermediate constitutional scrutiny, a legal standard that asks whether a regulation is narrowly tailored to serve an important government interest.<\/p>\n
Supporters describe the law as a content-neutral commercial regulation aimed at protecting children’s data, safety, and privacy. Texas has framed it as regulating commercial transactions, comparing age checks on app downloads to age requirements for drivers’ licenses.<\/p>\n
Challengers, including the student advocacy group Students Engaged in Advancing Texas and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), argue that conditioning app access on government ID checks amounts to a First Amendment violation by regulating access to speech. They have also pointed to a separate Texas law that already covers online pornography and noted that the Supreme Court upheld a similar Mississippi age verification law in 2025.<\/p>\n
CCIA President Matt Schruers stated: “We look forward to an expedited hearing before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in early August to demonstrate how Texas’ App Store Accountability Act violates the First Amendment. People should not have to turn over personal data to access the internet any more than they should show government identification to enter a bookstore.”<\/p>\n
Apple and Google have said they will comply with the law while warning that it may erode user privacy.<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court’s refusal to intervene does not address the constitutional merits of the case. The Fifth Circuit’s August hearing will determine whether the law can remain in force during the full appeals process.<\/p>\n
Utah and Louisiana have passed similar age verification laws, and the Texas case could set a precedent for how courts treat such measures in other states. Critics have also raised privacy concerns, noting reports that Texas recently leaked 3 million driver’s licenses and passports, a data exposure that has fueled arguments about the risks of centralized digital identification systems.<\/p>\n
On July 6, 2026, the Supreme Court refused to block Texas’s App Store Accountability Act in an unsigned order with no noted dissents, allowing the state to require app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors.<\/p>\n
The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas are challenging the law on First Amendment grounds, arguing that conditioning app access on government ID checks regulates access to speech.<\/p>\n
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled an expedited hearing for early August to decide whether the law can remain in force during the full appeals process.<\/p>\n