Supreme Court Permits Texas Age Verification Law for Apps

WHO:

NPR - Texas enacted its App Store Accountability Act in 2025.

Techmeme - U.S. Supreme Court

ABC News US - Texas

CNN - Computer & Communications Industry Association, Apple, Google, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Justice Clarence Thomas

WHAT:

CNN - The Supreme Court's decision allows Texas to enforce the law while litigation continues, but does not resolve the case.

NPR - The law has only a few exceptions for apps made by emergency services and the companies that oversee college entrance exams.

ABC News US - The Texas law mandates age verification and parental consent for users downloading apps or making in-app purchases.

NPR - Texas responded in its filings that the law regulates only "commercial speech" and so is less constitutionally protected.

CNN - Texas urged the Supreme Court to allow its law to take effect by stating that a minor child who downloads an app agrees to contractual terms of service.

CNN - Texas' law was opposed by the computer industry and a group of students who argued that it violated the First Amendment.

CNN - The Supreme Court's emergency docket decision does not resolve the case but allows Texas to enforce the law while litigation continues.

CNN - The Supreme Court last summer allowed Mississippi to enforce a law requiring social media companies to verify the age of their users.

CNN - Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a brief concurrence asserting that the Mississippi law is “likely unconstitutional” but stated that the internet companies had not “sufficiently demonstrated” harm from a temporary order in favor of the state.

CNN - Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion for a 6-3 court divided along ideological lines, with the court’s three liberals dissenting.

NPR - Texas' law has only a few exceptions for apps made by emergency services and the companies that oversee college entrance exams.

NPR - Children must get parental approval before downloading all other apps, such as Instagram, library apps, and the apps of news organizations.

CNN - The Supreme Court's decision allows Texas to enforce the law while litigation continues, but does not resolve the case.

CNN - The Supreme Court's emergency docket decision does not provide an explanation for their ruling.

CNN - The law is broader than similar laws in other states, applying to every app available.

CNN - The Supreme Court previously upheld a Texas law requiring age verification for pornographic websites.

NPR - The law prevents children under age 18 from downloading most apps without parental consent.

NPR - The law has only a few exceptions for apps made by emergency services and the companies that oversee college entrance exams.

Techmeme - The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block a Texas law requiring app stores and developers to verify the age of mobile device users.

ABC News US - The Texas law mandates age verification and parental consent for users downloading apps or making in-app purchases.

CNN - The Supreme Court allowed Texas to enforce a law requiring mobile app stores to verify the age of users and obtain parental consent for minors.

CNN - The Supreme Court's decision permits Texas to enforce the law while litigation continues.

WHERE:

CNN - Texas

WHEN:

CNN - The Texas law was enacted last year.

CNN - A federal district court blocked the law's enforcement in December.

CNN - A three-judge panel of the conservative 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals put the district court's decision on hold in early June.

WHY:

CNN - Texas legislators enacted the law to prevent minors from accessing "harmful" material online.

NPR - Texas legislators enacted the law to keep minors from seeing "harmful" material.

CNN - The law was enacted in response to concerns about the online safety of minors.

CNN - The Computer & Communications Industry Association argued that the law would bar young people from accessing a wide range of content and have "profound consequences for the protection of digital speech."

CNN - Texas legislators enacted the law to prevent minors from accessing "harmful" material online.

NPR - Texas legislators enacted the law to keep minors from seeing "harmful" material.

CNN - The law was enacted in response to concerns about the online safety of minors.

HOW:

NPR - Texas responded in its filings that the law regulates only "commercial speech" and so is less constitutionally protected.

CNN - Texas argued that a minor child who downloads an app agrees to contractual terms of service, which include various privacy and tracking conditions.

NPR - The law regulates only "commercial speech" according to Texas, which they argue is less constitutionally protected.

CNN - The law requires app stores to verify the age of users and obtain parental consent for minors attempting to install programs on their phones.

CNN - Texas urged the Supreme Court to allow its law to take effect by stating that a minor child who downloads an app agrees to contractual terms of service.

(UPDATED July 7, 2026 19:35 UTC)

The Supreme Court has allowed Texas to enforce its new law requiring age verification and parental consent for users downloading apps or making in-app purchases, while litigation continues. This law, which has limited exceptions for emergency services and college entrance exam companies, was enacted by Texas legislators to prevent minors from accessing what they deem "harmful" material online. However, critics, including the Computer & Communications Industry Association, argue that the law could restrict young people's access to a wide range of content and significantly impact digital speech.

(UPDATED July 7, 2026 17:42 UTC)

The Supreme Court has allowed Texas to enforce a controversial law requiring parental approval for children to download most apps, while litigation continues, despite opposition from the computer industry and students who argue it violates the First Amendment. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion for the 6-3 decision, which was divided along ideological lines, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed concerns about the law's constitutionality but noted that internet companies had not shown sufficient harm from the temporary order. Texas maintains that the law only regulates "commercial speech," which they argue is less protected under the Constitution, and it includes exceptions for emergency services apps and those related to college entrance exams.

(UPDATED July 7, 2026 08:06 UTC)

The Supreme Court has ruled that Texas can enforce its law aimed at preventing minors from accessing harmful material online while litigation continues, although the decision does not resolve the case. This law is broader than similar laws in other states, applying to every app available, and the Court's emergency docket decision did not provide an explanation for their ruling. Texas legislators enacted this law based on the argument that when a minor downloads an app, they agree to the contractual terms of service, which include various privacy and tracking conditions.

(UPDATED July 7, 2026 01:35 UTC)

Texas has enacted its App Store Accountability Act, which prevents children under 18 from downloading most apps without parental consent, with a few exceptions for emergency services and college entrance exam apps. Legislators aimed to protect minors from exposure to what they consider "harmful" material. The law specifically regulates "commercial speech," which Texas argues has less constitutional protection.

(UPDATED July 6, 2026 21:25 UTC)

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to allow Texas to enforce a law that requires app stores and developers to verify the age of mobile device users and obtain parental consent for minors. This law, enacted in response to concerns about the online safety of minors, mandates age verification for users downloading apps or making in-app purchases. While litigation continues, the Computer & Communications Industry Association has raised concerns that this law could restrict access to a wide range of content for young people.