US Supreme Court Upholds Texas Age Verification Law
The US Supreme Court declined to block a Texas law requiring app stores to verify user age, allowing the law to take effect while litigation continues over its constitutionality.
Key points
- The Texas App Store Accountability Act, passed in 2025, requires app stores and developers to verify the age of mobile device users.
- The law also mandates minors to obtain parental consent to download apps or make purchases.
- The Computer & Communications Industry Association, representing Apple and Google, and a student coalition sued to stop the law, citing free speech concerns.
- The Supreme Court's decision allows the law to take effect, despite ongoing litigation over its compliance with the US Constitution's First Amendment.
- The court's ruling is similar to a previous decision upholding a state law requiring age verification by pornographic websites, which was upheld 6-3.
- The case is part of a broader free speech battle over efforts to protect children from online content.
The US Supreme Court has declined to block a Texas law that requires app stores to verify the age of their users. The Texas App Store Accountability Act, passed in 2025, aims to protect children from online content by mandating age verification and parental consent for minors. The law has been challenged by the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents major app store operators such as Apple and Google, as well as a coalition of students. The challengers argue that the law violates the US Constitution's First Amendment, which protects against government abridgement of free speech. The Supreme Court's decision allows the law to take effect while litigation continues over its constitutionality. This ruling is similar to a previous decision by the court, which upheld a state law requiring age verification by pornographic websites. The case is part of a broader debate over efforts to protect children from online content, with implications for free speech and online regulation.
Sources
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