Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a new law mandating age verification for all users accessing Apple and Google app stores. The legislation, which takes effect on January 1, 2026, also demands parental consent for downloads and in-app purchases for anyone under 18 — positioning Texas at the forefront of a national reckoning over tech accountability and child safety.
App Stores Now Gatekeepers of Child Safety
This new Texas law hands unprecedented responsibility to app marketplaces, making them the gatekeepers for youth access to mobile apps. The state joins Utah in introducing such sweeping digital guardrails, and momentum is building nationwide, with a federal proposal also in the pipeline.
The legislation has already triggered applause from several social media companies. In a rare show of unity, Meta, Snap, and X welcomed the move, stating:
“Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it, and more than one-third of US states have introduced bills recognising the central role app stores play.”
Supporters argue the law is long overdue, especially amid growing concerns over social media’s impact on young minds. A 2023 Pew Research survey found that 81% of Americans back parental consent for social media use among children, and 71% favour mandatory age verification.
Tech Giants Push Back Over Privacy, Free Speech
However, not everyone is cheering. Apple and Google, both directly targeted by the law, argue it overreaches by compelling all apps — even innocuous ones — to collect sensitive age-related data.
Apple issued a stern warning:
“If enacted, app marketplaces will be required to collect and keep sensitive personal identifying information for every Texan who wants to download an app, even if it’s an app that simply provides weather updates or sports scores.”
Both tech giants propose an alternative system where only apps requiring age-specific access receive user age data, not the entire marketplace.
Meanwhile, critics have raised constitutional red flags. Kathleen Farley, vice president of litigation for the Chamber of Progress — a tech industry group supported by Apple and Alphabet — suggested the law may face court battles.
“A big path for challenge is that it burdens adult speech in attempting to regulate children’s speech,” Farley told Reuters. “I would say there are arguments that this is a content-based regulation singling out digital communication.”
Advocates Say Industry Self-Regulation Has Failed
Online safety groups, however, insist that such measures are necessary because Big Tech has consistently failed to self-regulate. Casey Stefanski, executive director of the Digital Childhood Alliance, offered a stark critique: “The problem is that self-regulation in the digital marketplace has failed, where app stores have just prioritised the profit over safety and the rights of children and families.”
Another bill under consideration in the Texas Senate would go even further, banning minors from using social media entirely. If passed, it would make Texas one of the strictest states when it comes to regulating kids’ digital access.
As the January 1 deadline approaches, all eyes will be on whether this law stands firm or sparks the next big court showdown between states and Silicon Valley.